British Minister for Tourism Janet Anderson on the impact of foot and mouth disease on tourism in Britain

Janet Anderson

(CNN) -- Janet Anderson serves as British Minister for Tourism responsible for, among other areas, local government issues. From 1993-94 Anderson served on the House of Commons Commission as the Parliamentary Labour Party's Representative. In 1997 She Served as Government Whip.

CNN Moderator: Thank you for joining us today, Janet Anderson, and welcome.

Janet Anderson: Hello! I'm Janet Anderson, the minister for tourism in Britain, and I'm here in New York to reassure you all that Britain is not closed for business.

CNN Moderator: With the foot and mouth disease outbreak, many people are hesitant about traveling to Britain. Should people be concerned?

AUDIO Jonny Butterly of the Irish Farmers Assn: An iron fortress around the area. 601K/55 sec. AIFF or WAV sound National Farmers' Union President Ben Gill: Risk when meat is in transit 250K/23 sec. AIFF or WAV sound     ALSO Brazil steps up foot and mouth prevention efforts New Zealand, Australia credit vigilance for keeping herds healthy

Janet Anderson: Obviously, we are concerned about the foot and mouth situation, which is particularly damaging to our agriculture industry. I want to reassure you, though, that this is not damaging to humans. It is not Mad Cow disease, so it poses no threat to our human food chain. Our food is perfectly safe to eat.

Question from chat room: Aren't tourists concerned about bringing the disease back to their own country?

Janet Anderson: I'm sure that is a concern. That is why we are advising tourists to stay away from any areas that are infected or where there is livestock.

CNN Moderator: Which areas are you advising people to stay away from?

Janet Anderson: We are advising them to stay away from farms and grasslands that have animals on it. But it is still possible to travel through these areas, provided that you stay on tarmac roads.

Question from chat room: When will it be over?

Janet Anderson: We hope it will be over as soon as possible. The government is doing all it can to contain the outbreak. The only way to do this, sadly, is to slaughter the infected animals, and we are doing that as quickly as we possibly can.

Question from chat room: How about the Cotswolds; is travel severely restricted?

Janet Anderson: Well, people can still move around, and our roads are not closed. I was talking to two people here in the States today who are planning to visit the Cotswolds, and told them that the roads are open and they can still visit the towns, cities and pubs. We did tell them to stay away from grassland that has livestock on it.

Question from chat room: Can you tell us, generally, if farmers are being compensated for the loss of their livestock?

Janet Anderson: Farmers are being compensated for the loss of their livestock. The government is paying market value to the farmer for every animal that is slaughtered.

CNN Moderator: What are you doing to address people's concerns?

Janet Anderson: We think the most important thing is to give accurate information about what people can and cannot do. The National Trust has opened 120 of its properties. The forestry commission is deciding what it can keep open. There are many things people can still do. If you want more information, you can go to www.travelbritain.org. That will give you up to date information about what you can do in Britain and also give the latest information on the foot and mouth outbreak.

Question from chat room: Are the wildlife, such as deer, affected?

Janet Anderson: Deer can be affected, and that is why we have had to close those royal parks where there are deer. But that is a very small number.

Question from chat room: Some stately homes have livestock. Are they generally open?

Janet Anderson: They are generally open, and for example Hampton Court Palaces are open, although some of the grounds have had to be closed.

Question from chat room: What percentage of the British economy is livestock exports?

Janet Anderson: Our livestock industry is worth 9 billion pounds to the British economy every year, but the tourist industry is worth 64 billion pounds to our economy. So that is why we want to give accurate information to our visitors, and assure them that the British countryside is still very much open for business.

Question from chat room: How many livestock have they killed so far?

Janet Anderson: I haven't got the up-to-date number, but we are talking about 1 percent of our total livestock. So, it's actually a very small percentage of the total.

Question from chat room: Why the big deal if it isn't harmful to humans? What's people's "beef" with Foot and Mouth disease?

Janet Anderson: It is important to remember that this is really an economic issue. Because animals with foot and mouth will lose weight, cows will produce less milk. Also, it means that we cannot export our meat as long as we have foot and mouth.

Question from chat room: What is the government doing in trying to prevent the disease from moving to other countries?

Janet Anderson: We are taking significant steps to prevent that. We are drawing a three-mile cordon around affected areas, and also slaughtering animals in that cordoned-off area, to contain the disease.

Question from chat room: If foot and mouth can be "airborne," how is restricting travel to the tarmac road right beside an affected area effective?

Janet Anderson: Well, it can be airborne, but it's more likely to happen on grassland. If people stick to the roads, there is no problem.

CNN Moderator: Do you have any final thoughts to share with us today?

Janet Anderson: I would just like to reassure your viewers and listeners that we hope they will come to Britain. They will have a very warm welcome. There are still many things they can do -- touring the countryside by car, visiting villages, cities, museums, art galleries, and so on. All those cities which American visitors particularly like, Edinborough, York, Oxford, Cambridge, Canterbury, Lincoln, Cardiff, and of course, London, are very much open, and it's business as usual.

CNN Moderator: Thank you for joining us today.

Janet Anderson: It's been a great pleasure to be with you today. Thank you, and good-bye.

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