A PLEA is going out to farmers in Herefordshire to co-operate fully with DEFRA's blood-testing programme so that foot-and-mouth restrictions can be eased still further.
A spokesman for the ministry said on Tuesday that it was hoped to complete the blood-testing programme by November 20 so the county could then be lowered from a risk area to a disease-free one. But, said the spokesman, stock at 76 premises had still to be tested and of that number access was still being sought by DEFRA to 31 holdings. "If we get all the particulars sorted we could be lifting restrictions in Herefordshire by November 20. But we must have co-operation from farmers. We do need access and the longer we are delayed, the longer it will be before restrictions can be lifted."
Shropshire was declared a disease-free county at midnight on Monday.
Asked about the likely timescale for the opening of livestock markets and the export trade, the spokesman said that DEFRA was aiming to get the industry back to normal as soon as possible.
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