PM vows to beat disease
Saturday, 4 August 2007 12:00 AM
Gordon Brown has pledged that the government will do everything in its power to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease in Britain.
The prime minister said that officials had been working "night and day" since symptoms of the disease, endemic among cattle, were reported at a farm in Surrey on Thursday night.
"We are doing everything in our power to look at the scientific evidence and get to the bottom of this and to eradicate the disease," Mr Brown insisted.
Government vets last night confirmed the outbreak of the disease, which has so far been contained to the unnamed farm.
At least 60 cattle that tested positive for foot and mouth have been culled already.
Speaking to journalists at Downing Street after holding a Cobra emergency meeting, Mr Brown said the government was responding "quickly and decisively" to the latest outbreak of foot and mouth.
Six years ago a similar outbreak led to the decimation of the country's livestock and stunted tourism, but the prime minister insisted he would not allow a second period of "widespread disruption and economic damage".
"I want to do everything in our power immediately to get to the scientific evidence, to look at the source of what has happened, to set up a number of inquiries so that we can actually move very quickly, I mean within hours and days, what has actually happened, and then to eradicate this disease in Britain," he said.
"We will be doing night and day everything in our power to make sure that what happens happens quickly and happens decisively in a way that can reassure people that everything is being done.
Newsletter sign up