This outbreak could not have come at a more testing time for farmers, rural businesses or the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, after flooding raised concern about this year’s harvest.

The source of the new outbreak must be quickly established to prevent further distractions, when the real disease threat that is most exercising government experts is thought to be the arrival in Britain of the deadly H5N1 avian flu virus.

The essential task in foot-and-mouth outbreaks is to hold its spread. The government strategy to achieve this continues to be culling animals. There are many critics of this strategy who will clamour for vaccination. Once an infected animal dies, the virus dies with it in a short time, although it can still be carried in faeces that could be on a boot or tyre of a farm vehicle. Vaccinations may be used, but only if this outbreak threatens to spiral out of control. The Government has already agreed that they can be used as a “firebreak” to prevent the spread of the disease and to give the authorities time to get an outbreak under control.

Government vets are urgently testing the seven livestock farms in the immediate vicinity of the Surrey premises. If there is any sign of disease, animals there will also be slaughtered.

The question, however, is how the disease has arrived in Britain at all. Veterinary experts will be checking all movements of animals, people and vehicles on and off the farm in the past ten days. Incubation of the disease is about five to seven days, so the disease trail could go back into last month.

The other crucial factor will be keeping the countryside open. With the holiday season entering its peak time, ministers will not allow the shutdown of public footpaths or the devastating impact on tourism that occurred in 2001. But the main aim will be to eradicate the disease as quickly as possible to ensure that the country’s status as a trading nation is not affected.

This outbreak presents a real test to the state veterinary service and the emergency planning that has been going on since 2001. This time there should be no harrowing images of piles of dead cattle waiting to be burnt.

Another test will be to keep the infected zone in quarantine and for the slaughtermen to destroy cattle out of the public eye. Haulage contractors will be on standby with secure, covered lorries to carry the infected animals without any risk of leakage of animal body fluids that could spread disease.