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Europe turning to virus vaccine
LONDON, England -- Britain has applied to the European Union for permission to use a vaccination programme in its battle against foot-and-mouth disease. The move was made as Britain announced that the army would be deployed in slaughtering animals for the first time. Dutch authorities began carrying out a limited vaccination program for infected farms on Tuesday after receiving permission from the EU. In France, Agriculture Minister Jean Glavany said that vaccination "has not been excluded" but the government hoped to avoid it, fearing "catastrophic" economic consequences for farmers.
France has had two confirmed cases of foot-and-mouth, and the Netherlands five. And Denmark has become the latest country to be affected. Danish authorities suspended livestock exports as veterinarians investigated three suspected cases of foot-and-mouth disease in the west of the country. Close to 700 cases of foot-and-mouth have been identified in Britain since February 20, and almost 700,000 animals have been earmarked for slaughter. UK Agriculture Minister Nick Brown told Parliament his representative on the EU's Standing Veterinary Committee was seeking a "contingent decision" permitting vaccination. He said no decision had yet been made on whether vaccination would be employed to help control the rampaging disease. But permission has been sought "so that it can be deployed immediately if we conclude that it is the right approach." Until now vaccination has been seen as a strategy of last resort, but pressure is mounting for it to be introduced. Patrick Holden, of the Soil Association, a charity promoting organic farming, called on ministers to begin vaccination immediately. "It is great news that the government are considering vaccination and it is now critical that it is introduced as soon as possible," he told BBC Radio. Farmers in Cumbria, the county hardest hit by the epidemic, said the government's current strategy of livestock quarantine and mass slaughter in areas close to heavily infected sites was not working. "You cannot really blame the government, it has escalated beyond anything they expected," said William Young, whose farm lies within the Cumbrian cull zone. He said the disease was spreading so fast "that by the time they have set up a firewall it will have gone beyond it and they will have to build another one." The Ministry of Defence said seven army butchers would join the cull at a disused air base in Great Orton, Cumbria, where thousands of animals are being buried in a giant pit. "Until now the military have only been involved to help the logistics and organisation of the cull," a spokesman said. But from Wednesday "they will help to kill the animals." The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said animals could be buried alive in the mass cull. The charity said it had "grave concerns" about many aspects of the slaughter and wants inspectors to be allowed to oversee the killing to ensure it is done humanely. The UK government earlier announced that it would ban pig swill, identified as a key link` in the chain that spread foot-and-mouth infection across the country. Brown said the outbreak originated in northern England at a farm at Heddon-on-the-Wall, where pigs were fed swill, which is made from food discarded by humans. He said it was unclear how this particular strain of foot-and-mouth virus, first identified in India in 1990, entered the country. It might have been an illegal shipment of imported meat, he said, or it may have come on food carried by an arriving passenger. By the time the first case was identified near London on February 20, Brown said, the disease had already spread far across the country. Brown also announced proposals for a 20-day "standstill period" for sheep, goats and cattle that have been moved. The European Union also was considering a request by several European zoos to vaccinate animals at risk from the disease. The Associated Press contributed to this report. RELATED STORIES:
Saudis battle foot-and-mouth outbreak RELATED SITES:
Foot-and-Mouth Disease |
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