Foot-and-mouth 'could end soon'

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The foot-and-mouth outbreak in Surrey could effectively be over by the end of next week if no new cases emerge, a leading microbiologist has said.

Professor Hugh Pennington said if the disease had not spread to other animals by then it was "highly unlikely" there would be any further outbreaks.

A temporary control zone around a farm near Dorking was lifted on Saturday after negative test results.

Officials are urging farmers to remain vigilant in looking for the disease.

Optimism

Asked if the outbreak was over, Mr Pennington told BBC News 24: "I wouldn't want to do that until, certainly, the end of this possible incubation period.

"I think by the end of next week if we've seen no more cases, I think we can say it's highly, highly, highly, highly unlikely that there will be any more cases - not before then."

<a class="bodl" href="#farm">See map of remaining protection zone</a>

Animals at two farms near Guildford have tested positive for the disease, while animals culled at a third farm inside the surveillance zone set up a week ago were shown not to have foot-and-mouth.

And on Saturday tests of samples from the fourth suspected farm at Wotton, near Dorking, also came back negative.

A 3km temporary protection zone set up around the suspected case - outside the existing 10km (6.2 mile) surveillance zone - was lifted.

Laurence Matthews, the farmer at the centre of the scare, said: "I'm very happy. I was pretty sure all along that we didn't have it. I'm very relieved."

'Risk low'

The negative tests have come as a boost for the government which is increasingly confident the outbreak has been contained.

Restrictions on taking animals to abattoirs have been lifted but many movements of livestock - such as sending animals to market - are still banned in England.

HOW FOOT-AND-MOUTH SPREADS Direct contact, from animal to animalFluid from an infected animal's blister; saliva, milk or dung also pass on the diseaseAnimals eating infected feedVirus can be spread by people or vehicles, if not disinfected Airborne spread of disease also possibleAnimals can begin spreading virus before visible signs of disease emerge <i>Source: Defra</i> <a class="" href="/1/hi/uk/6930959.stm">Q&A: Foot-and-mouth experts</a>

The restrictions have been relaxed further in Wales, with farmers allowed to move animals on welfare grounds.

In Scotland, farmers have been able to send animals to abattoirs since Wednesday and across the border to England since Friday.

Chief veterinary officer Debby Reynolds said the "risk of spread outside Surrey was low" but urged all livestock owners to maintain "relentless vigilance".

"Everybody who has livestock will be looking at them very regularly for any signs of foot-and-mouth disease," she told the BBC on Saturday.

An interim report into the outbreak concluded the most likely source of the outbreak was the nearby Pirbright lab site, used by vaccine manufacturer Merial and the state-run Institute for Animal Health.

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