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Livestock Disease Spreads in Britain

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JOIE CHEN, CNN ANCHOR: Looking to the world now, in Great Britain, a livestock disease has prompted a very high state of alarm, and the fear has spread to continental Europe as well. Today, Germans slaughtered some 16,000 sheep, which were imported from England, for fear of the highly infectious virus, which is called hoof and mouth disease there.

We'll talk about the virus in a moment. First, CNN's Jennifer Eccleston on how the disease is affecting English farmers.

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JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The outbreak of hoof and mouth disease here has created something of a siege mentality. Entire farming communities and villages are all agreeing to practically stay indoors, not to go out unless it's absolutely necessary.

Children are being asked to stay home from schools if they are from farming communities. Some schools are even closed. And if the children from farming communities do want to attend school, they're asking them to bring a separate change of clothing, clothing that hasn't actually touched the outside world.

Now, earlier I talked to a farmer here, and he said he was adopting a fortress mentality.

THOMAS ROSKILLY, FARMER: If the stock are all wiped out, then we will not give up. We will hopefully be able to rebuild in time. But at the moment, we're taking each day as it comes.

ECLLESTON: I also spoke to a vicar who is trying to counsel and talk to some of the farmers in his neighborhood. He said that he had to do it over the phone, because many of the farmers didn't want him to come on the land, because he didn't want -- out of the fear of spreading the disease.

REV. IAN SYKES: This is adding to all the stresses and strains that they have gone through over the years with BSE, and now this has come along. And there's very little that really can be done to stop the spread. That is the frightening side to it.

ECCLESTON: Now, many sporting events have been postponed around the areas. Numerous parks have been closed, as well as wildlife parks and zoos. People here are saying they're doing all they can do stem the outbreak, but they are all worried, and all they can do is hope for the best and take measures for the worst.

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CHEN: Jennifer Eccleston reporting to us from England today.

The livestock virus is having political repercussions as well. The Prime Minister of Great Britain Tony Blair is having to explain why he didn't move faster to quarantine animals to keep the virus from spreading.

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TONY BLAIR, PRIME MINISTER OF GREAT BRITAIN: We stopped at the moment we realized that it was more than an isolated place, and I think that -- and I don't think that anyone can be expected to act quicker.

We acted with the full consent and support of the farmers represented throughout. And we were working with the farming industry, not simply to make sure that we can eradicate the disease, but also to make sure the farmers are properly compensated.

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CHEN: Joining us now to tell us more about hoof and mouth disease and the problems it is posing in Europe is Chuck Lambert. He is the chief economist for the National Cattleman's Beef Association. He joins us from Washington.

Mr. Lambert, I guess the thing that most people in the United States are very conscious of and very concerned about is the likelihood that it might come here. What is the history of the hoof and mouth in the United States?

CHUCK LAMBERT, NATIONAL CATTLEMAN'S BEEF ASSOCIATION: Hoof and mouth has been eradicated in the United States and in Mexico and Central America. And we have been free of the disease since the early 1930s.

We do sympathize with the producers in Europe. We realize that this is an economic hardship and an emotional hardship, as they go through this quarantine period and the restriction of movement of livestock and of people in -- especially in Great Britain, but also in greater Europe.

CHEN: Yeah, I -- and to underline your point, I understand that the last major outbreak of this disease seen in the United States was all the way back to 1929.

You say it's been eradicated among livestock in the United States, but this apparently is a tremendously contagious disease. I understand from somebody who lived in Britain in the '60s, that at one point, if you had to go from, say, England into Ireland, you had to have your shoes disinfected before you could step off and step into the other country.

Is there a tremendous sense that this could spread and could move very quickly if enough precautions are not taken -- not only within Europe, but the States as well?

LAMBERT: I think that the case in Europe definitely points to the need for surveillance and monitoring systems, those safeguards that are in place in the United States.

Anyone who has traveled internationally knows, as you come back into the country, Customs and the Department of Agriculture go through a very rigorous inspection process for reentry, and this points to the need for that.

And not only for incoming livestock and meat and agricultural products, but also for human traffic. Anyone who has been on a farm in international countries mark that on their customs form and go through the special clearance process as they reenter the United States, and this is to prevent inadvertent exposure of the U.S. herd to these deceases that are prevalent in some countries.

CHEN: Not just a formality, then.

Chuck Lambert from the National Cattleman's Beef Association here in the United States joining us from our Washington bureau.

Thanks very much, sir.

At our Web site, an in-depth look at the hoof and mouth crisis. You'll find maps that show the spread of the disease, a timeline and a look at the global impact of it. Learn more about this very disturbing issue at cnn.com.

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