The government's chief scientific adviser and chief vet say that farming practices in the Settle region are probably responsible for the new disease hotspot. Stephen Rossides, head of food health and science at the National Farmers Union warns that farmers must not become complacent. There must be continued vigilance. 13 May. Early in May, Tony Blair announced that the fight against the disease was almost over. The cause of the new outbreak in Devon is unknown.
Many farms have parcels of land away from the home premises.
But there is no major cause for alarm, he says. Every epidemic has a long tail. Sometimes new cases are explicable. Sometimes they are not. But carelessness can be a factor.