Healthy cattle saved by cull policy shift

The British government has eased up on its slaughter policy following reports that the number of confirmed foot and mouth cases has fallen for the second month running.
A new approach will see an end to the culling of healthy cattle located on farms neighbouring others where the disease has been identified. Until now UK government policy has been to slaughter all animals on adjacent farms within 48 hours, whether the disease was detected or not. In future, cattle will only be culled if tests for foot and mouth prove positive.
In light of their relatively higher risk of passing on the infection, the cull of sheep and pigs within 48 hours on neighbouring farms will continue. All types of animals on infected premises must still be slaughtered within 24 hours of the first report of the disease.
The policy U-turn meant a healthy 12-day old calf that had survived a cull on a farm in Devon won a reprieve. Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (MAFF) originally wanted to slaughter Pheonix after she spent five days next to her dead mother. A national press campaign and pressure on UK Prime Minister Tony Blair from voters saved the animal from death.
The relaxation of the cull was welcomed by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), which had worked closely with the government to modify the programme. NFU president Ben Gill said: