Foot and mouth control zone lifted

Livestock farmers in the West Midlands have heaved a sigh of relief after a farm was declared clear of foot and mouth disease.

A 3km (1.8-mile) temporary control zone had been imposed around Woodhouse Farm, near Solihull, while tests for the disease were carried out on animals from the site.

Defra confirmed that laboratory results showed no sign of foot and mouth, and the control zone was lifted.

There have so far been five confirmed cases of the disease in Surrey since the initial outbreak at the start of August.

A number of sites outside Surrey have also been investigated and several control zones set up, but these have all proved to be false alarms.

The control zone around Woodhouse Farm was set up as a precautionary measure, hours after chief vet Debby Reynolds urged farmers to undertake twice-daily inspections of their cattle in a bid to eradicate foot and mouth.

But a Defra spokeswoman said results had shown no evidence of the disease.

The news came as laboratory results on the latest incidence of foot and mouth in Surrey revealed the strain of the disease was the same as all the other cases in the outbreak.

Animals on the fifth premises - Klondyke Farm - had the same strain as the previous four infected farms.

The Environment Department also lifted some of the movement restrictions outside the surveillance zone which surrounds the most recent cases near Egham, Surrey.

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