BRUSSELS –  Belgium started checks for foot and mouth disease after the FMD virus was discovered at a farm in Great Britain.

The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FAVV) focused its inspections on businesses that have had contact with Great Britain. No signs of the disease have been found, Pascal Houbaert of the FAVV said on Sunday.

The virus was found at a farm in Surrey, England on Friday. British prime minister Gordon Brown imposed heavy restrictions on Saturday to prevent further infection.

The veterinarians of the FAVV checked hundreds of sheep and a limited number of adult cattle on Saturday. Houbaert said nothing alarming had been found. The examinations will be concluded in the coming days. For the rest the situation in Great Britain will be followed closely. “Specific measures are not being taken in Belgium at the moment,” Houbaert said.

[Copyright Expatica News 2007]

Subject: Belgian news