The UK government is set to announce a major relaxation of its foot-and-mouth slaughter policy today.
The change in approach comes as ministers prepare to release fresh evidence that foot-and-mouth is on the wane.
The easing off of the livestock cull has emerged unexpectedly as Downing Street announced that Phoenix, the week-old calf which survived a cull on a Devon farm, has won a reprieve.
Details of the revised policy are not immediately clear, but they relate to the so-called "firebreak" cull - slaughtering animals on farms neighbouring those where there had been a foot-and-mouth outbreak.
A Downing Street spokesman says the change will mean Phoenix - who had been born on Clarence Farm, Membury, next to one where there had been a confirmed outbreak two weeks ago - will now live.
The Conservatives have called on the British government for an urgent explanation of the scientific basis for revising the policy.
"We understand public concern about the slaughter of healthy animals, but we believe at this stage no risk should be taken, and that farms which border those where foot-and-mouth has been confirmed are obviously at high risk of being infected themselves," said Shadow Agriculture Minister Tim Yeo.
"A sudden change in policy will need to be fully explained if confidence in the industry and among the public about the government's determination to eradicate foot-and-mouth disease is to be maintained."
In the commons, Agriculture Minister Nick Brown will tell MPs in a statement that for the last seven-day period, the total number of new cases fell below 100 for the first time in 8 weeks.
In the last week, the number of new cases has fallen to an average of 16-a-day, compared to a high of 43 just three weeks ago. In Devon, there have been just eight new cases in the past week.
At the same time, Mr Brown will tell MPs that the backlog of carcasses to be disposed of has been eliminated everywhere except Devon, as a result of a sharp increase in the disposal rate.
Although ministers say the situation is improving both Mr Brown and Tony Blair, who is travelling to Cumbria, will warn that there is no room for complacency and that the British government will not let its guard drop.
PA