UK foot-and-mouth outbreak revives vaccine debate

LONDON (Reuters) - An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease six years after the virus devastated Britain's farm industry has reignited the debate over whether livestock should be vaccinated to avoid mass culls.

Farmers resisted calls for vaccinations after the 2001 crisis, fearing for exports of meat and dairy products because the method can conceal the presence of the virus and many countries ban the importation of vaccinated animals.

But vaccines have proven effective and the National Farmers Union said they could be one option to confront the latest crisis, which surfaced last week at a farm in southeast England.

"We need more information about whether or not this is an isolated incident before making any decisions about a vaccination," the farming group said in a statement.

Britain's chief veterinary officer has said the government has considered the role a vaccine may play.

The outbreak six years ago led to the cull of six million animals, hitting tourism as well as farming and causing some 8.5 billion pounds ($17 billion) in losses to Britain's economy.

Vaccines might actually prove to be the cause of the latest outbreak as well as a possible solution.

Experts are trying to work out whether the rare strain discovered came from research facilities near the infected farm, where work on vaccines had been carried out. The laboratories said they had found no evidence of a security breach.

PREPARATIONS

Under European Union rules, Britain is required to start preparing for country-wide vaccinations and then decide whether to administer them after a second outbreak. The European Commission can in extreme circumstances order a country to carry out vaccinations if it does not.

"So far we have had not discussions in detail with the UK on vaccinations, although they are required to at least prepare for such a measure," an EU official said.

Foot-and-mouth is a highly infectious disease affecting mostly sheep, pigs and cattle in which fever is followed by the development of blisters.

It is rarely fatal -- except in very young animals -- but does cause lameness and reduced milk yields.

Culling has been the main solution until now.

Carl Padgett, president-elect of the British Cattle Veterinary Association, said vaccination was a complex issue and could be important for rare breeds but may not represent a wholesale solution.

"It is very difficult to identify the difference between a vaccinated animal, an infected animal, or a vaccinated animal that has subsequently been infected and is acting as a carrier for disease," he said in a statement.

Supporters of vaccinations say they are effective and more humane than culling. Robin Maynard of Britain's largest organic group, the Soil Association, said experience in the Netherlands showed that so-called 'ring vaccines' can stop the spread of foot and mouth.

This involves vaccination in herds around infected livestock to prevent further transmission and means far fewer animals eventually have to be culled, he said.

"It creates a dead-end host for the disease where it can't go any further," he said in a telephone interview. "You can create firebreaks early on."

(additional reporting by Sylvia Westall, Nigel Hunt and Darren Ennis)