FMD lab: 'Shocking security lapse'

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Wednesday, 08 August 2007

A major lapse in security at a Government research laboratory complex was identified last night by an official report as the most likely cause of the foot and mouth outbreak.

A Health and Safety Executive inquiry said there was a "strong possibility" that the virus came from the Government-licensed Pirbright complex in Surrey, which is just three miles from the two farms that have been contaminated.

It is likely workers at the site - shared between the Institute for Animal Health (IAH) and its commercial partner, Merial Animal Health - were to blame for spreading the disease, the report said.

The carcass of a slaughtered cow is loaded into a lorry, foot and mouth lab: 'shocking security lapse'
The carcass of a slaughtered cow is loaded into a lorry at a farm in Normandy, Surrey

In a further twist, the HSE said that sabotage at the labs could not be ruled out. Ironically, the Government has just asked Merial to produce 300,000 foot and mouth vaccines.

Source: Daily Telegraph. For full article go to: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=5GB23HKEPEOKRQFIQMGSFFOAVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/2007/08/08/nfandm108.xml