January 10, 2007

Foot-and-mouth disease suspected in Northern Ireland pigs

Pig samples from an abattoir in Northern Ireland are being tested for foot-andmouth disease after foot lesions were detected yesterday morning at a County Antrim facility after routine surveillance.

Samples were sent for testing at the Institute for Animal Health.

Northern Ireland Chief Veterinary Officer Bert Houston said movement restrictions and other conditions were imposed at the abattoir and the premises of origin.

Foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in the UK in 2001 caused the slaughter of 6.5 million animals and caused losses of more than GBP 8 billion.

John Kinnaird, president of the National Farmers' Union in Scotland, urged the industry not to be overly alarmed.

There is no reason to expect that the disease would spread to the mainland if precautions had been taken, he said.

Most problems reported in the UK after 2001 had been negative.