At the same time, officials are letting a limited number of farmers take their animals to the nearest slaughterhouse, to ease a meat shortage in British shops. The animals are being selected from areas that so far have not been infected by the highly-contagious virus. Supermarkets also have started to import meat products from abroad to fill the gap. Muslims in Britain are upset because the shortages could interfere with the tradition of slaughtering sheep to mark the end of the hajj, or holy pilgrimage to Mecca, which concludes this week. So far, authorities officials say the widespread infection can be traced back to a single farm in northern England, which had been reported several times for unsanitary conditions.
Neighbors accuse government inspectors of ignoring the warning signs.
Britain's European neighbors have taken drastic measures to keep possibly tainted animals and meat products from their markets. Suspected cases of the virus already have been reported in France, Belgium and Denmark. British animals and meat products have been banned from markets in continental Europe, and all vehicles arriving from Britain are being disinfected. Norway has even asked 300 British soldiers not to participate in multinational military exercises this week. Wind or birds can carry the disease for hundreds of kilometers from a source of infection, and the virus also can be carried on clothing, tools or vehicles.