Publications
Partners
A suspected case of the highly contagious livestock disease at a farm in the British province of Northern Ireland just 3.2 km from the border with the Irish Republic sent new shock waves through an already alarmed Europe.
"It is now my belief that we are looking at an outbreak of this disease in Northern Ireland," Brid Rodgers, the province's Agriculture Minister, told reporters on Wednesday.
The Irish Republic's Prime Minister Bertie Ahern expressed "huge concern" at the possibility of foot-and-mouth so close to the border of his country, where the livestock industry is a key part of the economy.
Britain's foot-and-mouth crisis, now into its second week, showed no signs of abating as officials confirmed eight more cases, taking the total number of affected locations to 26.
Prime Minister Tony Blair tried to soothe fears and pledged to support the country's beleaguered farmers caught up in yet another crisis after a long-running battle against "mad cow" disease.
EUROPE NATIONS GET TOUGH
But fears over the widening British outbreak prompted European nations to tighten measures, including checks on travellers, to keep the disease away.Portugal, a popular holiday destination for Britons, acted to protect its shores by saying travellers arriving by sea or air from Britain should surrender all food and wipe their feet on a chemically impregnated sponge.
In Paris, France said it would destroy 30 000 French sheep that had contact with animals from Britain since February 1 as a precaution against the disease, which makes animals lose weight and reduces milk yields in dairy cattle.
Farm Minister Jean Glavany said France had yet to record any suspected cases of foot-and-mouth but it was wary because a large number of sheep had been imported from Britain ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) on March 5.
Earlier this week, Glavany ordered the destruction of 20 000 British sheep because some had come from one of the sites in Britain where the authorities had detected the virus.
British media reported that France had begun disinfecting cars arriving from Britain at Channel ports, making arrivals drive across straw soaked with disinfectant.
Travellers from Britain were also being told at some European airports and ports to surrender any food from home or bought in transit in case it carried the virus.
CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE
The foot-and-mouth crisis has further undermined confidence in Britain's farming industry, still reeling from mad cow disease that devastated cattle herds in the 1980s and early 1990s and is linked to the deaths of more than 80 people.Britain has been charged with exporting mad cow disease to continental Europe, and the latest outbreak of foot-and-mouth, which can spread like wildfire through the air, on clothing or on vehicle tyres, has further panicked the region.
Britain has ordered draconian measures to try to contain the outbreak. Blair introduced fines of up to £5000 ($7200) to ensure people observed the no-go status imposed on large tracts of rural Britain. But the number of cases has continued to grow.
The eight new cases in England and Wales, as well as the possible case in Northern Ireland, show the disease has spread across wide stretches of the country and that the crisis may go on for weeks, possibly months.
Blair, facing scrutiny over his handling of the crisis and a possible delay to a widely expected election in April or May, said he would work to give Britain's 400 000 farmers and farm hands a better future after a string of disasters.
"It is an appalling situation," he told parliament. "We will carry on working with the farming industry and their representatives to give them every possibility of a secure future and certainly a better future than they have enjoyed over the past few years."
In Germany, Consumer and Farm Minister Renate Kuenast said five sheep imported from Britain that had foot-and-mouth antibodies had tested negative.
Her spokeswoman said it looked as if Germany had avoided the first case of foot-and-mouth in a European Union country since the outbreak began.
"We have no real grounds for suspicion now," Sigrun Neuwerth told reporters.
But in Britain everyday life was under threat.
Stocks were running low at London's central Smithfield meat market, and in some rural areas children were kept away from school for fear of spreading the virus, which has little or no affect human beings. Parks and nature reserves remained closed.
A worldwide ban on British livestock and animal products remained in force, losing the country £8m in lost sales per week.
($1=.6909 Pound)
