Contingency plans should be in place to protect zoos against foot-and-mouth, the European Commission has said. If vaccination of zoo animals was deemed necessary in Britain, the Commission said yesterday it would defend it against any international attempts to block export trade. General vaccination of any animals is still regarded as a last resort, costing a country its "disease-free" status and closing key export markets. A limited vaccine policy approved in principle by the EU for 180,000 cattle in Cumbria and Devon would only affect exports from those regions.
The Commission said vaccinating zoo animals should not risk a country's animal health status "where such animals are kept under appropriate controlled conditions".