France has beenclassified free of foot and mouth disease, the Agriculture Ministry said today, in a new sign that the devastating disease is on the wane in Europe.
The announcement came three months after the eradication of the last known French site infected by the disease, in the Seine-et-Marne region near Paris, and days after Britain, where the first outbreak occurred in February, said restrictions were being eased in view of a smaller number of new cases.
The French ministry statement said nationwide tests on over 7,000 sheep had shown that the virus that causes the disease was no longer circulating in the country and that remaining trade restrictions imposed by other countries were no longer justified.
"There are therefore no more health reasons to justify trade restrictions imposed by a few third countries," the statement said.
On May 26th, the European Union urged the lifting of remaining restrictions on EU meat exports to third countries.
Both of the French cases had originated in Britain.
The Britishgovernment indicated this week it was easing restrictions in view of the smaller number of new cases. But it stressed the crisis was far from over there.
Environment Secretary Mrs Margaret Beckett said movement restrictions on livestock put in place to prevent the spread of the disease were to be relaxed.
However, she admitted that eradicating the disease completely would not be achieved "in the next few days or weeks."
About 4.5 million animals have been slaughtered out of a British livestock total of 55 million.
AFP