( AFP ) - Britain's chief vet said Monday that another suspected case of foot and mouth disease had been reported near the site of the original outbreak and that a new cull had been ordered.
"This is not the first infected premises but it is in the same protection zone," the veterinarian, Debby Reynolds, told BBC television.
"This is a suspicion of foot and mouth disease. We have decided to cull these animals. The culling has started. It has been found promptly and I want to continue to assess the situation based on the laboratory test results."
A lozenge-shaped three-kilometre (1.7-mile) protection zone and a 10-kilometre surveillance zone are in place around the affected farm and the Pirbright laboratory.
"These protection and surveillance zones need to reflect the risk and the location of the premises," Reynolds said.
"This farm that we're slaughtering on suspicion tonight is within the protection zone.
"It's a small number of kilometres away at the most."
She told Sky News television that vets had discovered cattle with worrying signs suggestive of foot and mouth during a visit to a farm close to the one where the original outbreak was found.
Around 50 cattle were to be slaughtered, she said.
Reynolds added that samples had been taken to a laboratory for tests and she may have the results to hand on Tuesday.
