The investigation into the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Surrey has led inspectors into the deepest recesses of animal health laboratories and the farthest corners of village allotments, and still they appear no closer to finding a cause. In the meantime, the culling continues.

Yesterday afternoon the lorries carrying steel pens arrived outside another farm a mile north of the field where the outbreak was first reported.

John and Georgina Emerson shut down Huntshill Farm as soon as foot-and-mouth was confirmed among the cattle of Derek Pride in a field in Normandy, near Guildford. The couple specialise in selling fresh meat at farmers’ markets and, even before yesterday afternoon, Mr Emerson was resigned to losing his latest stock of pork and poultry.

They had sealed off the farm in the hope that their 100 head of cattle, pigs, sheep and goats would survive.

Yesterday afternoon, however, a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) spokeswoman said that there was a possibility that the Emerson livestock had suffered “dangerous contact” with one of the infected herds. “This is a precautionary measure,” she said. The cattle had already tested for the disease. The results are due today and the cull is due to continue until this afternoon.

Merial, the US-owned company that operates at the site of the Pirbright research laboratory, defended its deputy manager, who had been drawn into the investigation. Inspectors had accompanied him to his allotment in Normandy on Tuesday amid fears that he had inadvertently spread the virus held at the laboratory into the field beside his plot where the outbreak was first reported.

It was suggested that the floods that drowned the allotment and part of that field on Friday, July 20, could have carried the virus to the cattle.

Merial said: “Defra investigators have advised that they have no evidence linking this member of staff to the outbreak.”

Kevin Pearce, the National Farmers’ Union director of food and farming, said that abattoirs would be up and running as early as today in light of the easing of restrictions. He said that, as a result, consumers should not see a difference in the availability of meat in shops.

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