Foot and mouth contained, claims British PM

Foot and mouth contained, claims British PM

ADRIAN CROFT

Reuters

August 10, 2007 at 10:55 AM EDT

LONDON — Prime Minister Gordon Brown reassured farmers on Friday that an outbreak of foot and mouth was restricted to a limited area of Britain and promised swift compensation for those hit by the livestock disease.

The highly infectious virus has been found on two farms in southern England, forcing more than 570 animals to be destroyed and prompting the European Union and other countries to slap a ban on British meat and dairy exports.

The government said tests for the disease on a third farm nearby had proven negative. The BBC said initial tests on cattle at a fourth farm outside the disease area had also been negative, though the government did not immediately confirm it.

"We have restricted the disease to a limited area of this country," Mr. Brown told reporters after a government emergency committee met to review progress in fighting the disease.