Officials warn it's 'a matter of time' before highly contagious virus spreads through the UK

Daily Mail​

19-05-2025

Health officials have warned that a highly contagious virus will inevitably return to the UK if the government does not act quickly to stop it.
Foot-and-mouth disease, an infectious virus that causes blisters to form inside the mouths and under the hooves of animals, was eradicated from the UK in 2007.
The painful condition can cause lameness and problems feeding in animals.
It is not transmissible to humans, but any products of animal origin—such as meat and dairy—could potentially be contaminated.
Cases have been reported of people becoming infected with the condition after drinking raw milk from contaminated cows, although it is thought to be incredibly rare.
The warning comes as outbreaks of the disease have been reported across Germany, Hungary and Slovakia, prompting border closures and the culling of thousands of animals.
In the current outbreak, the virus was first detected on a Hungarian cattle farm in early March.
Within two weeks, it had spread to three farms in neighbouring Slovakia - marking the first outbreak in both countries for more than 50 years.
Now, a councillor responsible for environment at the Port of Dover has said the authority is 'barely scratching the surface' when it comes to suitable checks at the Kent port.
Jamie Pout, of Dover District Council, added that it was 'a matter of time' until foot-and-mouth disease or African swine fever arrived in the country.
The UK suffered major outbreaks of the disease in 2001 and 2007, leading to millions of pigs, cattle and sheep being slaughtered across the country and costing both the public and private sector billions.
The disease can have a devastating financial and emotional impact on affected farmers, who face production losses like reduced milk yields and culling their livestock.
But it can also lead to wider economic impacts with the loss of access to foreign markets for animals, meat and milk for affected countries.
All commercial imports of livestock—such as cattle, pigs, sheep and deer, as well as meat and dairy products from the affected countries —are currently banned from entering the UK.
Health certificates, which approve import requirements for animals, fresh meat and animal products, are also no longer being issued to those susceptible to the disease.
And in April, the British Government placed a ban on 'bringing items like sandwiches, cheese, cured meats, raw meats or milk into Great Britain'.
Britons must refrain from bringing dairy products from certain animals back to the country if they are returning from the EU, EFTA States, the Faroe Islands or Greenland.
But Labour MP Josh Newbury, who sits on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA), said last week that he saw health inspections at the port being done under 'rusty canopies, with nesting pigeons [in buildings] that had no walls'.
Facilities had 'no ability to wash down' and lacked personal protection equipment other than gloves, he added.
The government lifted restrictions on livestock from Germany last week, declaring the country disease free.
A case of foot-and-mouth disease was detected near Berlin in January—the first in Germany for over three decades—prompting swift bans and culling.
But after review, the UK health authorities say they're now satisfied that Germany has contained the outbreak.
In response to allegations from the border, the government has said it will do 'whatever it takes' to protect British farmers from disease.
It added it had significantly increased seizures of illegal meat products, restricted animal products from EU countries with outbreaks and banned personal meat and dairy imports for EU travellers.
It also said it was investing more than £200 million in the UK's main research and laboratory testing facilities at Weybridge to bolster protection against animal disease.