LineOne
The
mass cull of healthy animals to stamp out foot-and-mouth disease has already begun.
The
pre-emptive slaughter scheme has started on two farms in the north of Scotland
which have links to infected markets, the Scottish Executive said.
Slaughter
of healthy sheep from farms in Dumfries and Galloway - is due to begin next week
along with the cull of animals in areas rife with foot-and-mouth disease.
However
a farmers' group has warned that some of those in the worst affected
areas
would not report suspected cases of foot-and-mouth in their herds for fear of
reprisals from neighbours.
Lobby group Farmers For Action said farmers
in Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway would stop reporting suspected cases because
of fears of a backlash from neighbours.
This came as the confirmed number
of cases on the UK mainland and Northern Ireland rose to 297, including the first
detected case in Shropshire.
There, a sheep and goat farm in Outwoods near
Newport had confirmed disease in 786 sheep and one goat, the Ministry of Agriculture
said.
An FFA spokesman said farmers in the regions were "frightened" of
passing on details to MAFF officials.
The group stepped up its "all-out
war" with the Government over the disease, announcing it is seeking a judicial
review over the Government's handling of the crisis. |
