Outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease in the United Kingdom

The British government has confirmed an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in a farm near Guildford in the county of Surrey in the southeast of England. This is the first time that the United Kingdom has been hit by the disease since 2001.

A three kilometer protection zone and a 10 kilometer surveillance zone have been placed around the farm. A national ban has been imposed on the movement of all cattle, sheep and pigs. For the moment, horses are not included in the movement restrictions.

Currently, all horse shows that are sanctioned by the Federation Equestre Internationale are running as scheduled, including the upcoming Royal Dublin Horse Show (Aug 8-12) in Ireland.

The FEI is closely monitoring the situation in cooperation with veterinary authorities and will issue updates as they become available.