But the total costs may be higher. In 1967 the disease was confined to Shropshire, bits of north Wales, and most of north-west England. This time round, cases have been reported all over Britain, implying the slaughter will be much more widespread. Sion Roberts, the National Farmers' Union's chief economist, reckons the cost of the epidemic will be about 253 million GBP a month. This includes everything from the extra feed costs of keeping animals on farms instead of sending them for slaughter, to the costs faced by food-processing firms whose supplies of meat are being interrupted.
Some people think so, and blame under investigation in Britain's state veterinary service.
The agriculture ministry had 43 regional animal health offices 10 years ago, staffed by 303 veterinarians. Last year, it ran half as many offices with a fifth fewer vets. The number of government laboratories for disease testing has also fallen. Farmers' poverty may be part of the problem, too. Impoverished farmers are unlikely to call out a private vet on a whim, and might hesitate to do so in the case of FMD, which can be confused with other diseases, especially since the disease has not been seen in Britain for decades.