The foot-and-mouth virus is likely to have spread to the new outbreak area in Surrey more than three weeks ago and before the UK was declared free of the disease, according to a report today by Debby Reynolds, the government’s chief veterinary officer

The precise pattern of virus transmission is still unclear, but the cattle culled at the the latest stricken farm, The Klondyke, at Virginia Water, carried lesions that were more than ten days old. Both cattle and sheep from the farm also had antibodies for the virus, which shows the infection is as old as three weeks.

The findings were reported as government vets investigated another suspected case of the virus today, in a bull in Solihull, in the West Midlands. Blood samples have been taken from the animal, which is part of a small herd, and a temporary control zone imposed around the premises.

The news created alarm among farmers about the possibility that the virus had spread so far outside Surrey.

The Times reported on Saturday that lesions on cattle slaughtered at Stroude Farm, Egham, also had lesions that were ten days old.

Debby Reynolds, the government’s chief veterinary officer, today confirmed the age of the lesions and called on all cattle farmers to be extra vigilant with their animals and to check them at least twice a day, particularly those in the Surrey area.

All other animal-keepers were reminded that they have a legal responsibility to check the health of their animals daily.

The public appeal to farmers to show more diligence reflects concern inside the Government that the re-emergence of the outbreak may be attributed to farmers missing the disease or failing to recognise the symptoms. Dr Reynolds is adamant that there was nothing peculiar about the strain of this virus that would have made it difficult for farmers to spot symptoms in cattle — such as blistering around the mouth and lameness.

Part of the problem in the Surrey area is that most farms are small-scale or hobby farms. There is no large-scale dairy herd, except for the Queen’s Jerseys at the Royal Home Farms estate in the Windsor Great Park, where animals are milked and inspected twice daily.

Most of the cattle in the area are being reared for beef and are often kept on fields a long way from farm premises. These may not be as checked regularly, and if they were outside the surveillance zone created after the August outbreak checks may not have been robust.

It is feasible that any farmer in breach of welfare codes could face prosecution from trading standards officers.

Veterinary epidemiologists are still working out the most plausible link between the three new outbreaks in the past week and the original two cases in Normandy. A report is due before the weekend.

Ernest Ward, of Stroude Farm, and John and Sally Hepplethwaite, who own the Klondyke farm, are said by neighbours to take good care of their animals. There is even speculation locally that one of them had been subject to veterinary inspection during August and been cleared of any disease.

Some Surrey residents are convinced that transmission was from the movement of soil by contractors’ lorries from Pirbright scientific research centre that was contaminated with virus. In cool weather the virus can last in soil for about 28 days and so this route of transmission is possible.

One theory is that topsoil from Pirbright was used on a BMX track near Runnymede and various vehicle movements may have spread the disease to farmland.

The number of lorry movements and companies contracted to work on the site have not been revealed. The names of the haulage companies are also being kept secret over fears they could be targets for animal rights activists.

Dr Reynolds said today that the two main lines of inquiry for the resurgence of the disease were environmental contamination or latent infection in animals.

Peter Ainsworth, Conservative Rural Affairs spokesman, said that news that the animals were infected with disease when the UK was given the all clear was “extremely alarming”. He said: “This news is a very worrying development since it increases the possibility that the disease has spread.”

Dr Reynolds defended the decision to lift disease restrictions in Surrey and announce an all-clear, saying that officials had worked in line with regulations and the facts they had at the time.

She also hinted that it may be possible to relax movement restrictions in other parts of the country within days. Upland farmers in particular are worried about the welfare of their animals as grazing pastures are bare and they need to be moved to lowland farms for the winter.

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