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Foot and Mouth outbreak
04/08/2007
Agricultural shows at Dumfries and Turriff in Aberdeenshire will go ahead this weekend without animals after a UK-wide ban on livestock movement was imposed in the wake of confirmation of an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease among cattle at Guildford in Surrey.
First Minister Alex Salmond and Prime Minister Gordon Brown discussed the outbreak in a telephone conversation this afternoon.
Mr Salmond offered full cooperation with the Westminster authorities in dealing with the situation and made clear that the Scottish government would continue to do what is necessary to serve the welfare and interests of Scotland's agriculture and rural communities.
FMD is a notifiable disease and the ban applies to all susceptible species such as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. Risks to human health are negligible.
A 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone have been set up around the affected area in England.
The Scottish Government says the movement ban reflects the significant effect that Foot and Mouth Disease can have on the livestock sector and the wider rural economy.
FMD Helpline
0845 155 33 66
The last widespread FMD outbreak happened in 2001 affecting the whole of the UK.
At a media briefing in Edinburgh, Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said:
"Foot and Mouth disease is clearly a serious disease of livestock and sadly its shadow is now looming over Scotland and our rural life once again.
"As Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment I want to stress once again that it has no significant human health implications but it can cause significant disruption to the livestock sector and the wider rural economy and society.
"The key objective of the Scottish government is to ensure that any such disruption is kept to an absolute minimum.
"I recognise that many in our rural communities will have woken this morning with serious concerns and anxieties about the impact of foot and mouth on their communities.
"I can assure them that the Scottish Government is sensitive to these concerns and is taking all the appropriate precautionary steps.
"A Great Britain-wide livestock movement ban was imposed at 9pm last night, signed by myself in Scotland, and has been introduced on animals susceptible to FMD.
"All animal keepers in Scotland have been reminded of the importance of good biosecurity. The vets in the Animal Health Agency are on full alert.
"Information on the signs of the disease has been issued to the media and is available online through the Scottish government's website also.
"I took the decision today to set up a helpline for farmers and as from 2pm that will be up and running. The number is 0845 155 3366 and details have been made widely available throughout our rural communities.
"The three major agricultural shows taking place this weekend were contacted last night and I also spoke to some of the show organisers personally. The livestock at these shows, in Dumfries, Turriff and Perth, were inspected and sent home.
"All Scottish emergency co-ordination groups were alerted and briefed last night also and officials participated by telephone in a UK government COBRA meeting last night in London.
"I met this morning with my Chief Veterinary Officer and other key officials from our disease control team where we are operating a Scottish government emergency operation from Pentland House.
"The Scottish government has also been involved in a senior officials meeting this morning by conference call with our UK counterparts and other devolved administrations.
"I personally have spoken to the Minister of State at DEFRA, Lord Rooker, and expect to have further discussions with Westminster counterparts later in the day.
"Later this afternoon, we are convening a meeting of all the key livestock stakeholders in Scotland to discuss our response.
"It is absolutely vital that we have a partnership approach between the government, industry, and science if we are to combat this threat effectively.
"I have briefed the First Minister both yesterday evening and today. The action we are taking has been agreed by both the First Minister and myself and indeed he participated in a conference call this morning with officials in Pentland House.
"He and I will keep our overall response under constant review, working of course in partnership with the UK Government south of the border.
"Let me be clear - Scotland's countryside remains open. That's an important message here at the heart of our summer season here in Scotland.
"The agricultural shows in Scotland may not have animals but all the other great attractions will continue. We would encourage people to continue to visit these shows and enjoy the day and the Scottish countryside and continue to celebrate our rural heritage.
"Both the First Minister and I will be visiting the Turriff show in Aberdeenshire tomorrow and other Ministers have attended other agricultural shows in Perth and Dumfries today.
"There are no immediate disease implications for Scotland at this stage. But there is no room for complacency. The key message for everyone is vigilance, and that Scotland's countryside remains open for business as normal."
FMD Helpline
0845 155 33 66