Pirbright's Institute for
Animal Health said there had
been no breaches in its
bio-security procedures.
Photo: Jane Mingay/PA Wire

An animal health laboratory linked to the foot and mouth outbreak today said there had been no breaches in its bio-security procedures.

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has revealed the strain of the virus found on an infected farm in Guildford, Surrey, was the same as one used at the nearby Pirbright laboratory.

Pirbright's Institute for Animal Health, an international diagnostic laboratory, said a check of records had found "limited use" in its lab of the strain identified in the cattle which were slaughtered once the disease was discovered.

The IAH shares the Pirbright site with pharmaceutical company Merial Animal Health, which last month produced a batch of vaccines using the strain found in the infected animals.

Martin Shirley, director of the Government-funded Institute, said: "The IAH operates under strict bio-security procedures licensed by Defra."

"In addition to general checks on bio-security, operation of equipment, procedures and physical barriers, etc, which have shown no breaches of our procedures, we have been able to check our records specifically for use of this strain."

"Our results have shown limited use within the lab within the past four weeks."

He said the Institute was continuing to co-operate with Defra in tracing the source of the infection, which was discovered on the farm near the village of Normandy on Friday.

Professor Shirley's announcement raised suspicions that the leak of foot and mouth disease could have come from Merial's laboratory.

Shadow Environment Secretary Peter Ainsworth said: "He says there was no breach of bio-security procedures."

"It does look from what he said that the finger is starting to point at Merial."

But the pharmaceutical company today insisted it operated to the highest level of product quality and safety and adhered to the most stringent procedures at its production sites.

David Biland, Managing Director of Merial in the UK, said: "Merial will co-operate fully with the UK government to determine the source of the disease, and will fully support Defra scientists in bringing this outbreak to a speedy and satisfactory conclusion."

The company has suspended production of the vaccine while the investigation into the foot and mouth outbreak is under way.

Chief Veterinary Officer Debby Reynolds revealed last night that the strain of virus responsible for an outbreak on a Surrey farm was the same as one produced at the Pirbright labs a few miles away.

But Environment Secretary Hilary Benn this morning stressed that, while this was a "promising lead", it was too early to say that the site was definitely the source of the infection.

Experts from the Health and Safety Executive are today investigating the Pirbright site and Mr Benn has commissioned a review of biosecurity arrangements led by Professor Brian Spratt of Imperial College, London University.

Protection and surveillance zones set up around the infected farm were last night extended to include the Pirbright site.

Bans on the movement of cows, sheep and pigs and the export of cloven-hoofed animals and animal products remain in force across the country.

Mr Benn told BBC News 24's Sunday: "The important thing to bear in mind is that this is a promising lead, but we don't know for sure and therefore it is very, very important that people continue to be vigilant."

"All the measures that we put in place on Friday evening remain in place."

Mr Ainsworth said suggestions the virus leaked from Pirbright were "very worrying indeed".

He told Sky News: "This is a world-class establishment. It is a repository of information and resource for around the world and to think that foot and mouth leaked out of it in some way is almost unthinkable, really."

"I am worried about reports we have seen in recent months about funding cuts to the Institute and remarks made by the director of the IAH saying he is being asked to run a Rolls-Royce service on the budget of a Ford Cortina. That might have something to do with it."

"It is also entirely possible at this stage that the private company on the site may have something to do with it. The important thing is that an independent inquiry has been launched and the truth will out."

Former Liberal Democrat MP for Guildford Sue Doughty said it may be time to rebuild the ageing facilities at Pirbright for the sake of safety.

She told Sky News' Sunday Live: "Let's have a look at it root and branch, check every ventilation duct, check every bit of that structure and if necessary... build it to modern standards."

"It is getting old. It is a bit ramshackle now. If it isn't good enough to be doing such important work, we have to recognise that and invest on behalf of our farming community."

But Conservative MP Humfrey Malins, whose Woking constituency includes both Pirbright and the infected farm, defended the lab.

"The animal research centre has operated here in Pirbright for many years and has a great relationship with the local residents," he told the programme.

"The security side of the centre is very strong. I visited not long ago and was very impressed by what I saw. So I think people will be amazed, or very surprised, if it has originated from there."

And Prof Shirley said: "Site redevelopment is well in progress at the IAH Pirbright laboratory."

"I know the age of the buildings has been talked about by some this morning."

"Since the 2001 outbreak of foot and mouth disease and the recommendations of a subsequent report in 2002, the Government has agreed to rebuild the Pirbright laboratories and these are under development at present."

Surrey and Hampshire county councils' trading standards teams were today hand-delivering information packs to all livestock keepers in the protection and surveillance zones established by Defra in the wake of the outbreak.

Trading standards officers said they were also ready to respond to reports of illegal animal transportation or further outbreaks.

Peter Denard, Surrey's county trading standards officer, said: "Higher level controls are in place around the infected farm, and certain events involving foot and mouth susceptible animals have been cancelled, but for the rest of Surrey its business as usual."

"The countryside is open to the public and events such as farmers markets are still going ahead. Common sense prevails and we would however urge the public to follow any additional bio-security controls put in place at events and on farms."

The Dairy Council said there was no need to avoid eating dairy products in the wake of the outbreak.

Dr Judith Bryans, the council's director, said: "In light of the recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease, The Dairy Council would like to reassure consumers that milk and all other pasteurised dairy products are safe to consume as per usual."

"Milk would not be collected from any farm known to have foot and mouth disease. In the unlikely event that any milk is ever taken from a cow with the foot and mouth virus, the virus would be inactivated by the pasteurisation process."

Conservative leader David Cameron said it was important that Prof Spratt's review was truly independent, and was given all the access to papers and personnel he requires to get to the bottom of the incident.

Mr Cameron today visited an agricultural show at Cranleigh, Surrey, near the location of the outbreak, which has gone ahead without animals because of the ban on livestock movements.

He told BBC Radio 4's World This Weekend: "I think there are very serious questions for the Government to answer."

"If it turns out that the virus was released either from the Institute for Animal Health in Pirbright or from the next-door lab at Merial - which, by the way, is inspected and licensed by the Government - it will be astonishing news, because the organisations responsible for stopping things like foot and mouth will effectively be responsible for starting it."

"I think the Government will have some serious questions to answer about the report which came out in 2002 that said the facilities were shabby and not up to standard."

Mr Cameron added: "Farmers up and down the country are going to be quite angry because they have done masses to improve their own biosecurity and they are all suffering at the moment, apparently because of mistakes made at a laboratory which is meant to stop foot and mouth."

"While the movement ban is absolutely right... we shouldn't forget that the ban on moving all animals around the country is not pain-free."

"It means abattoirs are closed for business but they still have to pay their staff. It means that markets and auctions are completely out of business while the ban continues. Many farmers who need to move stock can't do that."

"Farmers will be suffering from the movement ban. They will support it - they know it is right - but if they are suffering because others have made mistakes, they have every right to be quite angry."

Mr Benn told the programme: "Clearly, there are very strict controls in place governing the handling of viruses in facilities such as this, to protect the farming community and livestock."

"It is the responsibility of those in charge of both these facilities to ensure that those procedures are followed."

"That is why we have acted so swiftly on discovering this link with the strain to ask the HSE to go in - starting with the Merial facility, because of the production of the vaccine recently - to go and check whether everybody had done what they are meant to have done in these circumstances."

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that he hoped to have an initial report from the HSE team looking at the Merial labs and the Institute for Animal Health within 48 hours.

He said that Dr Reynolds would soon announce further local measures to ensure the biosecurity of the area immediately around the infected farm.

Speaking at 10 Downing Street after chairing the fourth meeting of the Government's Cobra emergency contingencies committee of the current crisis, Mr Brown said: "The whole strategy is to contain, then control, then eradicate this disease."

"The first priority, having identified potential sources of the disease, is now to find the transmission mechanism and that is why the HSE is now, first of all at the Merial company and then at the whole research establishment, looking at what they can find."

"I hope we will get results in 48 hours and I hope also that we can assure people that every measure is being taken so that we have the biosecurity we need."

He added: "The second priority is the more intensive work that is going to be done in a concentrated area around the infected farming enterprise..."

"The Chief Veterinary Officer will be announcing what she is doing in that localised area. We hope by doing that, we will be able to control and contain."

Mr Brown said that it had been established that the strain of virus responsible for the outbreak was the same as one being used in vaccine manufacture at Pirbright on July 16.

The HSE would thoroughly investigate biosecurity measures both at Merial and the IAH.

The Prime Minister thanked people in rural communities for their "great forbearance (and) marvellous co-operation" with the ban on movements of cattle, sheep and pigs, which remains in place.

"I am sorry for the worries and anxieties," he said. "I hope that we have managed to get across to the public that, while this is inconvenient, it is the right way to move quickly, decisively, to take the action that we did so that we can avoid greater problems later."

"I will work night and day to make sure that we can get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible."

Mr Brown, who broke off from a family holiday in Dorset to take charge of the response to the crisis, urged other people not to change their plans for breaks in Britain.

"Our tourist industry is open for business," he said.

"While there is a national ban on the movement of pigs, cattle and sheep, people are free - outside the protected zone - to continue with their holidays and continue walking round the countryside and enjoying the countryside."

As the HSE investigation got under way at Merial's laboratory, the pharmaceutical company said its own initial inquiries showed no breach of its procedures.

In a statement, Merial said: "Our centre operates to the very highest international standards and we insist on stringent adherence to processes and procedures for health, safety and environmental protection, quality control, quality assurance and regulatory compliance."

"There is intense speculation regarding the possible sources of this outbreak."

"While Merial has complete confidence in the integrity of our bio-security, and our initial investigation shows no breach of our procedures, it is too early in the investigation for anyone to determine the source of the outbreak."

The company said it was working with Defra to support the investigation into the outbreak, had supplied officials with detailed information about its operations and had voluntarily suspended viral production at the centre.

Police and Animal Health officers were guarding the front gates at a farm in Elstead, Surrey, today.

An official was ensuring that people leaving the premises, on Woolfords Lane, dipped the bottom of their shoes into disinfectant.

Police said the family run farm owned by Derrick Pride and his son Roger, is linked to the infected herd at Normandy village nearby.

One of Derrick and wife Sheila Pride's daughters said today: "Mum and Dad are very upset. We are very worried about them because they are quite elderly. We have lost the whole herd. It's all gone."

It is understood that the Prides were grazing their cattle in a rented field at Normandy, which is four miles from the Institute of Animal Health laboratory at Pirbright, currently being investigated to see if it was the source of the outbreak.

Copyright - Press Association 2007

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