Britain's foot-and-mouth figure reaches 742

The number of foot-and-mouth cases in Britain rose today to 742, up 13 on the previous day, the Ministry of Agriculture said.

The new cases were focused in the twin epicentres of the disease: Cumbria in northwest England and neighbouring Dumfries and Galloway in southwest Scotland.

According to figures from the ministry, 719,000 animals -mainly sheep, pigs and cattle - have been earmarked for killing in a bid to contain the epidemic.

Of those, some 442,000 have been killed, leaving 277,000 to be slaughtered. So far, only 323,000 carcasses have been buried or incinerated.

AFP