There is a "real possibility" an outbreak of foot-and-mouth virus was spread by human movement, the British government's health and safety agency reported Tuesday, identifying a vaccine lab in southern England as the likely source of the strain.
The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease was discovered at the Woolford's Farm, roughly six kilometres away from the Pirbright vaccine laboratory near Guildford, Surrey.
A worker sprays disinfectant on a car outside a farm in Normandy, England on Tuesday.
(Lefteris Pitarakis/Associated Press)
The Pirbright facility is shared by the government's Institute for Animal Health, as well as a private pharmaceutical company, Merial Animal Health.
"The indications are that there is a strong probability that the FMDV strain involved in the farm outbreak originated from the IAH or the Merial sites," the interim report said, but did not narrow down the source any further. Both labs are in the Pirbright complex.
Tuesday's report brushed aside the possibility of the virus being transmitted by air or flood water as "negligible," but urged further investigations into the possibility the strain was released by human movement.
Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said in a statement that he requested further interviews with personnel at the site to look into that possibility.
"Release by human movement must also be considered a real possibility. Further investigation of the above issues is required and is being urgently pursued," the report said.
2nd outbreak confirmed in cattle
British authorities had searched the Pirbright lab on Sunday, but the lab said there were no breaches in its biosecurity procedures. The institute said a check of records found "limited use" in its lab of the strain identified in the cattle that were slaughtered once the disease was discovered.
Also on Tuesday, Benn confirmed that a second herd of British cattle has foot-and-mouth disease.
Benn said tests were carried out on about 50 cattle late Monday.
Authorities had already begun killing the animals suspected of being infected, Britain's Chief Veterinary Officer Debby Reynolds said.
The cows were within the initial three-kilometre-radius protection zone set up Friday around a farm 50 kilometres southwest of London where the first group of infected cattle was found.
About 120 cows were destroyed on a nearby farm after the virus was first detected last week.
Industry still reeling from 2001 outbreak
Nick Allen, the southeastern regional manager of the Meat and Livestock Commission, told CBC News that so far there hasn't been too much panic over the confirmation of a second incident of foot-and-mouth disease because it was discovered at a farm close to the first infected site.
"The worry would be if another outbreak is found outside the infected zone," he said.
He said there's been a mixed reaction from farmers.
"There was just huge shock that it was back again," he said, adding that industry is still reeling from an outbreak in 2001 that devastated Britain's rural economy.
But Allen said that as news unfolded, many now believe that the outbreak will be contained.
Canada halts imports from Britain
Canada halted all imports of animals and animal products from Britain following confirmation of the outbreak on Saturday.
The crisis has also prompted an export ban on livestock and animal products from Britain to the European Union. Japan said it had banned British pork imports.
Foot-and-mouth disease can be transmitted through contact between animals, or be carried on the wind. The disease affects cloven-hoofed animals including cows, sheep, pigs and goats. In rare cases, humans in close contact with an infected animal may develop rashes.
With files from the Associated PressRelated
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