UK Cattle Test Positive for Foot-and-Mouth

Britain faces its first outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in six years after a herd of beef cattle in Guildford tested positive, reports the Independent. The news forced Gordon Brown to cancel his vacation as the government introduced emergency measures banning all transportation of cattle and pigs and throwing up a "protection zone" in the region.

The Guildford farm has culled all 60 cows amid fears of contagion similar to the 2001 outbreak that forced the immolation of 6.5 million animals. Britain's last foot-and-mouth crisis also led to a ban on rural tourism and on all beef exports. In London today, Brown will chair a meeting of COBRA, the crisis management team. (More agriculture stories.)