Britain eases foot and mouth restrictions

LONDON, Aug 18 (Reuters) Britain said today it had relaxed some restrictions on the movement of livestock brought in after a recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease.

The government's Chief Veterinary Officer Debby Reynolds said farmers would be allowed to move calving cows under certain strict conditions to ''help resolve animal welfare issues''.

Tighter restrictions will remain in place in Surrey in southern England where the highly infectious virus was found on two farms earlier this month sparking the alert.

It led to the destruction of more than 570 animals and prompted the European Union and other countries to ban British meat and dairy exports. Farmers say the trade bans cost them 1.8 million pounds (3.6 million dollars) a day.

The new government guidelines, which allow cows to be moved up to 50 km, are the latest step in the gradual easing of tight restrictions.

From August 23 -- barring new cases of disease -- animals may be sent from collection centres, used by small farmers, to abattoirs, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has said.

The National Farmers' Union (NFU) said that if there were no further outbreaks of foot and mouth, the EU export ban could be eased as early as August 26. All remaining restrictions on livestock movement could be lifted on September 10 and Britain could win back its foot and mouth-free status in early November.

Farmers have generally praised the government for responding quickly to the latest outbreak, in contrast with a devastating 2001 outbreak when more than six million farm animals were killed, costing the economy 8.5 billion pounds (17 billion dollars).

The government has said the likely source of the infection was the Pirbright research centre, close to the farm where cattle were first infected.

The site houses two foot and mouth laboratories -- one public and one, Merial, owned by US firm Merck and French firm Sanofi-Aventis SA.

REUTERS SKB KP1455