Quotes of the Day

When a new outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth disease (FMD) was confirmed on a cattle farm in Surrey, southern England, in early August, Britain braced for the worst. In 2001, the last time the U.K. was hit by this highly contagious illness affecting cloven-hoofed animals, it led to the slaughter and incineration of over 6.5 million animals and cost the country $17 billion. This time, the containment zones that were set up around the affected area right after the first case was reported (a move that took days last time) and a ban on the movement of livestock across Britain appeared to be working. So far, only three farms are known to have been hit, and a few hundred animals have been culled.

While quarantine has improved, prevention has not. How did the cows catch the virus in the first place? A government investigation is focusing on two biological research labs at the Pirbright complex, 3 miles (4.8 km) from where this outbreak first appeared. The same strain of FMD found in Surrey's infected cattle is used by the state-run Institute for Animal Health and by the private firm Merial for research and vaccine making.

A preliminary report says the virus could have escaped from Pirbright through a faulty waste pipe. But human error or even sabotage are also possible causes. "There are various potential routes for accidental or deliberate transfer of material from the site," says the report. "Release by human movement must also be considered a real possibility."

While investigators search for answers, both facilities insist there is no evidence anyone spread the virus, and Merial says it doesn't use Pirbright's wastewater system. The government is easing restrictions on the movement of animals, but an E.U. ban on British exports of meat, milk products and live animals could last months, costing the industry up to $20 million a week. This may not be the crisis it was six years ago, but there's still trouble down on the farm.

• Jumana Farouky
• Foot-and-Mouth rears its ugly head again in the U.K.