Agriculture minister Baroness Hayman had earlier warned that although two weeks was the accepted incubation period for the virus, there may still be more cases. The government is now looking to extend its licensing scheme to allow the movement of unaffected animals. Most restrictions on animal movement remain in place, although horse racing is being resumed with a meeting at Lingfield Park, Surrey, on Wednesday. The move came despite a plea by the National Farmers' Union for racing events to be postponed for another seven days. As British meat starts to reappear in the shops, there are allegations that it is more expensive, despite a fall in the price paid to farmers for their animals.
Sheep farmers say there is a risk of ewes and their lambs dying unless they can be moved to safety.
The EU's veterinary panel also extended a ban on the export of meat, livestock and milk products from the UK, where the outbreak originated. The UK Government's licensing scheme to allow healthy stock to reach abattoirs has until now mostly involved the movement of larger consignments to around 200 approved slaughterhouses. It is now proposed that holding centres, most of them markets, can handle animals from small-scale farms. The chief veterinary officer Jim Scudamore has rejected speculation that the current policy of slaughtering thousands of farm animals had been unnecessary. The NFU's request that the UK Government relax its restrictions comes as the lambing season gets underway.