Britain acted well on foot and mouth: EU Commission

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain has responded fully and promptly to its latest outbreak of foot and mouth disease and there is no need for EU countries to introduce their own trade restrictions, the European Commission said on Monday,

"We are very happy with the prompt response of the British authorities. We are very satisfied with the way in which they have handled the situation," European Commission spokesman Philip Tod said.

Later on Monday, the Commission was expected to confirm an indefinite European Union ban on exports of all live animals from Britain, as well as meat and dairy products from the area of England that has been affected by the disease outbreak.

EU veterinary experts are due to meet on Wednesday to evaluate the outbreak.

"This will be a binding decision later today," Tod said, adding that the Commission did not see the need for "further bilateral measures".

Several countries have already blocked imports of meat or animals coming from Britain, or have said they will do so.

Japan and South Korea have temporarily halted imports of pork from Britain. The United States, which already restricts imports of cattle and sheep from Britain due to other health scares, has said it will ban imports of pork and pork products.

Ireland has banned imports of meat and unpasteurized milk as well as livestock from Britain, a step that it is allowed to take under EU rules as a short-term measure.

The outbreak is an unwelcome reminder of the foot and mouth crisis that hit the British countryside in 2001, when more than 6 million animals were slaughtered, and carcasses were burned on huge bonfires.

"We cannot compare to 2001. However, we welcome the fact that the British authorities have managed to isolate the virus with such speed and look forward to them identifying where the outbreak originated," Tod said.

The highly infectious foot-and-mouth virus produces high fevers and blisters in cloven-hoofed animals, causing them to stop eating and often to die. The disease can be contracted by cattle, pigs, sheep and goats but only very rarely by humans.

Animals that have recovered from the disease can remain carriers for an extended period of time.