The foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak of 2001 caused huge damage to the UK agricultural industry, farmers’ livelihoods and animal welfare. It is estimated to have cost the agricultural and food sectors roughly £3.1 billion. FMD is a severe, highly contagious viral disease of livestock. It can kill young animals and debilitates adults, through the development of fever and sores. It is classed as an exotic disease in the UK, meaning that it is not normally present in the country.
FMD was confirmed in the UK on 20 February 2001, but in the preceding 2 weeks, it had spread undetected to 43 farms as infected animals were transported and traded throughout the country. Initially discovered among pigs at an Essex abattoir, sheep as far away as Cumbria, Devon and even France were already infected and spreading the disease. To curb disease spread, 6 million sheep, cattle and pigs were culled during the course of the outbreak.
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