British farmers were today warned that the foot-and-mouth crisis is still far from over and is going to last a "long time".
Chief Veterinary Officer Mr Jim Scudamore delivered the frank warning as the current tally of outbreaks topped 100.
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Fifteen outbreaks confirmed yesterday, including in four previously unaffected counties, and eight more cases this morning, have effectively put an end to faint hopes that the spread of the disease was about to peak.
Mr Scudamore said: "We have such a large number of tracings and movements (of animals) to follow still.
"We will not see the disease disappearing at the end of this week and this outbreak is going to last for a long time."
Mr Scudamore said the biggest problem now presenting itself was that the disease seemed to be spreading most rapidly among cattle which have come into contact with sheep carrying the virus.
Since the outbreak began more than two weeks ago officials have tirelessly sought to trace the movements of some 100,000 sheep which passed through markets where the disease was believed to have been present.
With Britain in the lambing season Mr Scudamore urged sheep farmers to look out for signs of the disease in their livestock.
Mr Scudamore appealed for any farmers who bought sheep outside the main sales rings at Longtown Market, a focal point for tracing the disease, to contact their local animal health officer as soon as possible.
PA