March 1, 2001
		Foot-and-Mouth Disease Rocks Europe Amid fears related to the spread of mad cow disease, panic is sweeping through Europe that the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease, a disease that afflicts cloven-hoofed animals, has spread through continental Europe after being detected in Britain recently. Two German farms were placed under quarantine Wednesday after officials admitted that several sheep imported from Britain had tested positive for antibodies to the disease. More cases of foot-and-mouth disease were also identified at a farm southwest of London, which had shipped sheep to Europe before an export ban took effect last week. Foot-and-mouth disease can be airborne, transmitted from one animal to another, contracted through contaminated feed or carried by humans on boots or clothing. People almost never contract the disease. Confirmed cases of the disease have climbed to 26 as of Wednesday. Veterinary officials told an emergency meeting of the British Cabinet Tuesday that they expected to see more cases in the coming days. The European Union has banned British exports of live animals, meat and dairy products for at least two weeks. “We are not going to export our problems to other people,” said British Farm Minister Nick Brown. He said that the ban would remain in place until “we can demonstrate to our trading partners that we are disease free.” The British government is planning to draw $228 million from a European Union fund to compensate farmers who may be unable to export meat for up to six months after Britain has been declared purged of the disease. London supermarkets have posted warnings that supplies of beef and lamb are likely to run out in the near future. About 7,000 cows, pigs and sheep have been slaughtered and burned in giant pyres in Britain, then buried in deep pits. A 1967 epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease resulted in the mass slaughter of 500,000 animals and hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses. “It has been quite troubling seeing... all the dead animals,” said Sue Scott, who lives close to one of the carcass pyres. “It was very sad.” German airports have placed anything containing meat or dairy products from Britain under suspicion as a possible carrier of the disease. Customs officers were confiscating uneaten sandwiches from passengers arriving from Britain and handing out leaflets that explained the precautions against spreading the disease. Elsewhere, the French government announced Tuesday that it would destroy 20,000 sheep imported from Britain since the beginning of the month.