Foot and mouth link to animal lab

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Officials from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the strain of the virus detected in infected cattle was the same as one being used at the Pirbright laboratory a few miles from the infected area.

They could not say definitely that the laboratory was the source of the disease but immediately increased the size of the protection and surveillance zones covering farms in the area.

Defra said the strain was not one recently found in animals but was similar to ones used in diagnostic laboratories and vaccine production.

The strain is present at the Pirbright site's Institute of Animal Health and was used in a vaccine batch manufactured last month, Defra said.

Officials are investigating other possible outbreaks of foot and mouth after the farm in Surrey was found to have infected cattle, said the chief veterinary officer.

Dr Debby Reynolds said a small number or potential cases had been reported in the wake of the discovery on the farm near Guildford, Surrey, some of which had already been found to be negative.

Defra said: "We have voluntarily put a ban in place on all exports out of the UK to any other country. That includes live animals, carcases, meat and milk with immediate effect."

The outbreak raised the spectre of the foot-and-mouth epidemic of 2001, which brought chaos to Britain and left farming and tourist industries devastated.

It led to the slaughter of nearly 10 million animals, ruined many rural businesses and is estimated to have cost the country up to £8.5 billion.