August 6, 2007

France takes steps against foot-and-mouth disease

The French Ministry of Agriculture is taking drastic steps against the entry of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the wake of FMD outbreak in the United Kingdom.

The measures included a comprehensive calculation of the cattle, pigs, sheep and other cloven-hoofed animals imported from Britain over the past 10 days; compulsory visits by vets to all cattle showing suspected symptoms; a ban on the herding of all cloven-hoofed livestock which are easy to catch the foot-and-mouth disease, before the calculation work is finished; and a timely adjustment of the measures in accordance with changes in the disease situation.