Foot-and-Mouth Disease Found In Cattle at British Farm

EGHAM, England — Authorities confirmed a new foot-and-mouth outbreak on the outskirts of London yesterday, days after Britain lifted livestock restrictions following the appearance of the devastating disease last month.

The highly contagious disease was found in cattle grazing in Surrey, a county that borders London, and close to a laboratory that was linked to the August outbreak. The discovery created panic in farming communities that lost millions last month.

"I'm really worried because I've got loads of pigs, a few cattle, and horses, and we were getting the pigs ready for slaughter tomorrow," a Surrey farmer, Andrew Parsons, said.

The government imposed a nationwide ban on livestock movement, while scientists tried to identify the strain and origin of the disease. Authorities also ordered the slaughter of about 300 cattle and pigs in the area, Britain's chief veterinary officer, Debby Reynolds, said. The European Union imposed its own ban on livestock movements from Britain.

"The utmost priority is to cull the animals to control disease and to put movement control around so that reduces the risk of any further spread," Ms. Reynolds told British Broadcasting Corp.