The control zone around Woodhouse Farm, which is located just south of Birmingham International Airport, was set up as a precautionary measure hours after chief vet Debby Reynolds urged farmers to undertake twice-daily inspections of their cattle in a bid to eradicate foot and mouth. However a Defra spokeswoman said results had shown no evidence of the disease.

The news came as laboratory results on the latest incidence (5th) of foot and mouth in Surrey revealed the strain of the disease was the same as all the other cases in the outbreak.

TheCattleSite News desk