Animal movements spreading virus

Cattle continued to be slaughtered to contain the virus

LONDON, England -- The latest outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease has been spread by people, animals and vehicles, Britain's agriculture ministry says.

The disease was first detected in Settle, North Yorkshire, on May 10 and now numbers 31 confirmed cases.

The total number of cases on the UK mainland and Northern Ireland has topped 1,650 with seven new cases confirmed on Monday.

Fourteen of the first 20 cases in the Settle cluster have been linked by the movement of people, vehicles or licensed movement of livestock, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food said.

"The spread of the disease has, inadvertently, been exacerbated by the nature of farming practices in the area," said the ministry's Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor David King, and Chief Veterinary Officer Jim Scudamore in a joint statement.

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"Many farms have parcels of land away from the home premises, including some fell and moorland.

"Consequently there have been many movements of people, vehicles and equipment, as well as some 350 licensed animal movements to carry out normal animal husbandry and working practices within the area," they added.

"All licensed movements have, of course, now stopped within the Settle area."

The ministry was continuing to investigate how the infection entered the animals, the Press Association reported.

It is believed the source of the Settle outbreak was in sheep at a local farm.

Farmers in Settle are had been allowed to transfer livestock from field to field, and the animals were checked by vets before being moved, the National Farmers Union North Yorkshire spokesman Rob Simpson told CNN.

"It is clear that the virus was undetected...because it masks itself very well in sheep," Simpson said.

"People, animals and vehicles have unwittingly transmitted the disease, but it is because the disease itself is so difficult to spot."

Preventative measures were still needed in the area, including the prevention of contact between different groups of livestock and the cleansing and disinfection of equipment and vehicles, the ministry said.