This brings them into contact with a greater number of animals, and provides an ideal route for diseases such as foot and mouth. In the last 10 years the number of abattoirs fell from over 1,000 to just 340, with many of the closures justified on health grounds. However, a major factor was the need to reduce the cost of slaughter to make British meat competitive through the economies of scale possible when abattoirs are run on industrial lines. The last occurrence of the disease in the UK was in 1981, when 200 cattle and 369 pigs were destroyed. A small outbreak was recorded in Greece in 1992, but the disease is endemic in many parts of the world, including South America, Africa and Asia.
Some experts are critical of the mass slaughter policy for foot and mouth disease.
Abigail Woods, a vet researching the history of the disease at Manchester University, says it has more to do with economics than either animal welfare or public health. One of the farms at the centre of the outbreak in the UK is Burdon Farm in Devon, owned by Willie Cleave. It lies just four miles from Hatherleigh, which has one of the largest livestock markets and abattoirs in the country. Cleave, who owns 12 other farms, exports many animals to Europe. The Irish republic has closed its border with Northern Ireland to all animal movements and cattle markets in the border region are suspended.