It now has two of five national outbreaks. Animals at four other farms, some in the south, were showing symptoms of the highly contagious livestock illness, leading to fears that it will spread beyond Gelderland. The Dutch authorities believe all can be traced back to animals imported from Ireland via the French department of Mayenne, the site of the first continental infection. EU Consumer Affairs Spokeswoman Beate Gminder said the decision to allow vaccination would not set a precedent. Exports in the Netherlands will most likely be frozen for three months due to the problem of differentiating between healthy and infected livestock.
Vaccinated animals carry the same antibodies as the sick.
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