Slaughter allowed as foot-and-mouth restrictions eased

- Published: 17 September, 2007

Farmers in most parts of the UK can now take their animals to slaughter after the government relaxed movement controls

put in place after last week's foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in Surrey.

General movement licenses to listed slaughterhouses are now being authorised, although there are strict conditions attached and there is still a movement ban in the surveillance zone around the two infected sites in Surrey. A 3km protection zone is in place around the farms with a 10km surveillance zone encircling it.

Animal gatherings are still banned, which means the country's biggest sale of breeding lambs has been cancelled in Hawes, Yorkshire, where around 30,000 sheep were due to be sold.