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Britain checks research labs after disease outbreak
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Britain checks research labs after disease outbreak
British authorities investigating an outbreak of highly infectious foot and mouth disease sealed off and searched two research laboratories yesterday located just miles from where a herd of cattle was infected.
While there was no confirmation the sites were the source of the infection, both of the high-security labs ? one run by the government?s Institute for Animal Health and the other by a pharmaceutical company called Merial - were placed within a 10-km radius (6-mile) exclusion zone as inspectors moved in.
The laboratories, built on one site, handle a variety of strains of foot and mouth, conduct research into the virus and develop vaccines against it and other animal diseases. Merial, one of the world?s leading animal health firms with 2006 sales of $2.2 billion, is jointly owned by US drugmaker Merck & Co. Inc. and France?s Sanofi-Aventis SA.
Attention focused on the labs as the possible source of the infection after Defra, Britain?s department for agriculture, said the strain of foot and mouth confirmed in 60 head of cattle on Friday was not one ?recently found in animals?. In fact, it was a strain of the virus isolated nearly 40 years ago by British biological researchers, it said.
The latest outbreak comes six years after a foot and mouth crisis that devastated British farming, with more than 6 million animals culled and countrywide tourism affected, at a total cost estimated at 8.5 billion pounds ($17 billion). The previous government, led by Tony Blair, was regarded as slow to react to that crisis and was strongly criticized as a result. This time around, officials responded more rapidly.
Prime minister Gordon Brown broke off his holiday to return to London and chair emergency meetings of senior ministers. However, the European Commission said it had banned all live animal exports from Britain, as well as meat and dairy products from the infected area. Further restrictions could be brought in after EU veterinary experts meet on Wednesday.
The United States, which already has restrictions on imports of cattle and sheep from Britain due to other health scares, said it would also ban imports of pork and pork products.
Depending on how long the EU and US bans remain in place, the impact on British agriculture could be profound.
Luke BAKER
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