By DPA
London : A second case of foot-and-mouth disease may have been discovered at a farm in southern England, British authorities said.
Conclusive tests on the case, found at a Surrey farm near the first outbreak discovered last week, would hopefully bring some clarity Tuesday, said the government’s chief veterinary officer Debby Reynolds. Between 50 and 100 animals had already been culled on the farm as a precaution.
The European Commission earlier Monday banned exports of meat, milk and animals from Britain as an investigation continued into the source of the first foot and mouth outbreak, discovered Friday ago at a farm near Guildford.
Merial Animal Health, a private US pharmaceutical company located five kilometres away from the affected farm and where immunizations against a form of the foot-and-mouth virus were being tested, denied that there had been any breach in bio-security procedures as investigators continued to scour the site.
Investigations were on Monday still focusing on the laboratories of Merial and Institute for Animal Health Laboratory at Pirbright. Inspectors hoped to have the results of their inquiries within the next 36 hours, the BBC reported.