1967 United Kingdom Foot-and-mouth Outbreak - Outbreak

Outbreak

In October 1967, a farmer from Bryn Farm in the county of Shropshire, concerned by the health of one of their sows, sought veterinary advice and the animal was found to have contracted foot-and-mouth disease. Bryn Farm was immediately put into quarantine and general animal movement was banned. The virus rapidly spread to the nearby Ellis Farm. Two cows from the latter had already been sent to market, leaving the farmers in a vulnerable position. In the following months, over 2,364 outbreaks were detected in the United Kingdom. Ninety-four percent of the cases occurred in North-West Midlands and North Wales.