25 farms infected by bluetongue

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Deputy chief vet Fred Landeg said all the infected premises were contained in the existing control zone in the east of England, with most clustered around Ipswich, where the first case was discovered.

He said restrictions preventing movement of livestock out of the control and protection zones, set up after an outbreak of bluetongue was confirmed last week, would last well into next summer.

"Our strategy is to contain it in that area if at all possible," he said.

Manufacturers are currently working on a vaccine, which they hope will be approved by next spring or summer and could be deployed if the disease re-emerges in the UK after the winter.

But culling is not used to combat bluetongue, as the disease is spread via midges and not directly passed between livestock.

Dr Landeg said colder temperatures in coming months should stop midge activity and the virus replicating, and reduce case numbers.

But he said it is "crucial" that the Government and farmers plan for various possibilities next year, when the disease could flare up again. He also said livestock owners should remain vigilant for signs of the disease and report them immediately.

Dr Landeg said new epidemiological studies of the most recent cases of foot and mouth disease discovered in Surrey in the past few weeks confirmed the belief that the disease is unlikely to spread outside the area.

The report said evidence showed wind-borne or mechanical transmission of the virus to the newest sites was possible. Dr Landeg also said the only potential link between Pirbright - the source of the first outbreak in August - and the secondary outbreak in September was through human or vehicle movement.