- LONDON (AFP) - The British
government battled to regain control of the foot-and-mouth crisis on Sunday
after giving the green light to a nationwide cull of healthy animals near
all outbreaks.
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- As the epidemic grows, with the the number of infected
sites at 560 on Sunday morning, a government source said Britain was likely
to ban pigswill, suspected of fostering the spread of diseases, in a bid
to prevent a repeat of the disaster.
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- And rapid movements of sheep around the country, believed
to have contributed to the scale of the crisis, are to be blocked by a
ban on reselling the animals within 21 days of purchase, according to the
source.
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- The Sunday Times, quoting a separete source, said that
ministers blamed "dodgy farmers" for spreading foot-and-mouth
by transporting sheep around the country to make fraudulent claims for
EU subsidies.
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- The extened cull was announced by chief veterinarian
Jim Scudamore on Saturday as the leader of the opposition delivered a fresh
attack on the government's handling of the epidemic, calling for a "crisis
cabinet" to handle the situation.
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- Prime Minister Tony Blair said the crisis was "hellish"
for rural communities after meeting farmers hit by outbreaks in Devon,
southwest England.
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- Some 525,000 animals have already been or are to be slaughtered,
according to agriculture ministry figures.
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- Ministry experts have predicted that the national toll
could rise to 4,000 by June.
-
- Suppliers and users of pigswill -- the slops from school
dinners, restaurants and cafes -- are currently required to submit to quarterly
inspections, and to heat treat the product to kill potentially dangerous
bugs.
-
- But these precautions are no longer considered adequate,
according to the government source, who said ministers are set to launch
a review expected to lead to a nationwide ban on pigswill.
-
- An agriculture ministry spokesman stressed that there
was as yet no proof that pigswill was to blame for the foot-and-mouth outbreak.
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- The Sunday Telegraph reported that Queen Elizabeth had
publicly backed the cancellation of the Royal Windsor Horse Show on May
9 because of fears spectators and entrants at the popular event could spread
the foot-and-mouth virus.
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- The move increases pressure on Blair not to call a general
election on May 3, widely believed to be his favoured date, the paper said.
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- Slaughter of livestock within three kilometres (two miles)
of outbreaks in two hotspot regions -- Dumfries and Galloway in southern
Scotland, and Cumbria in northwest England -- is already underway.
-
- The policy will now be extended across the country and
will affect sheep, pigs and cattle on farms "neighbouring" infected
sites, with the definition depending on local circumstances.
-
- The measure is designed to create a "firewall"
around infected areas in order to check the highly infectious virus, which
is harmless to humans but renders livestock virtually worthless.
-
- Speaking in Devon, where he also met livestock traders,
vets and soldiers, Blair on Saturday called the the situation "hellish"
and added: "We will do whatever is necessary to get on top of this
disease, control it and eliminate it."
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- Blair made his visit on his way back from a European
Union summit in Sweden, where he had appealed to his European partners
to supply veterinarians to help Britain combat the disease.
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- Military involvement in fighting outbreaks was stepped
up with the establishment of an army logistics team at the agriculture
ministry's control centre in London to help coordinate the response to
the crisis.
- Troops will not be involved in the slaughter, removal
and burial of animals, logistics team leader Brigadier Malcolm Wood said,
but were ready to help if asked.
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- Conservative opposition leader William Hague on Saturday
blasted the government's handling of the epidemic, calling for the creation
of a "crisis cabinet".
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- "When there is a war, there is a war cabinet. Well,
this is a national crisis, and we need a crisis cabinet. The prime minister
should set it up now," Hague said.
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- But Blair told reporters: "It is not another committee
we need, what we need is to make sure we shorten the time between confirming
the disease and slaughtering the animal."
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