UK says confident will be cleared of foot and mouth

LONDON, Aug 21 (Reuters) Britain is confident it will be declared clear of foot and mouth disease in early November, the government said today, and it will try to convince the European Union on Thursday to ease an export ban.

''To achieve the case for UK FMD (foot and mouth disease) freedom, of course we need a robust evidence base and we think we have got a very great deal of that already,'' chief veterinary officer Debby Reynolds told reporters.

Reynolds said she had been confident ''for some days in our ability to demonstrate we are in a very much improved situation.'' The earliest possible date Britain can regain ''disease free status'' under rules set by the world organisation for animal health (OIE) is early November -- about three months after the final case of the disease.

The government is focused on gathering evidence to meet this target, Reynolds said.

Foot and mouth disease was confirmed on two farms in Surrey, southern England, with the first case declared on August 3.

The outbreak led to a cull 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.

EU-27 veterinary experts will meet on Thursday to decide whether to review Britain's status as a high-risk zone for meat exports.

The vets are due to discuss a decision drafted by the European Commission that would reduce the size of the high-risk area -- meaning that a partial resumption of British meat shipments to other EU countries might be envisaged.

Reynolds said London would work for a positive outcome on Thursday, when she will be in Brussels for meetings.

''The negotiation on this takes place in the room in Brussels.

Obviously we will be looking to work with our European partners to make sure we get a good result for everyone concerned,'' she said.

The earliest date for the full resumption of British meat exports to the EU is September 8, Reynolds said.

But other lower-risk meat products could be exported sooner than live animals if the EU decides it is safe, officials added.

The outbreak evoked memories of 2001, when foot and mouth devastated British farming and led to the slaughter of more than 6 million animals, their carcasses burned on huge pyres.

The British government has said the likely source of the infection is a research centre near the farm where cattle were first infected. The site houses two research laboratories, one public and one, owned by US firm Merck and French firm Sanofi-Aventis SA .

Reynolds said investigations into the possible cause of the disease were still ongoing.

In a first step towards Britain being declared free of the disease, Reynolds said she hopes a protection zone around the infected farms in Surrey can be merged into a wider surveillance zone as early as Friday, provided there is good evidence the disease is absent and the research centre is secure.

The earliest possible date for the surveillance zone to be lifted is September 8, she added.

She said there had been 79 reported cases of foot and mouth, 76 of which proved negative. Two were positive and one remains under investigation.

REUTERS GT BD2121