asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if the strain of foot and mouth disease infecting British cattle has been ascertained; if this is a new virulent strain of foot and mouth virus; if the speed with which it spread is without precedent; and if the disease is incubating faster than it normally does.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Foot and Mouth Disease.
13.
I understand that the British Ministry's laboratory at Pirbright has identified the virus as a sub-type of Type O, and it is not a new strain. The speed with which it has spread from the time of the first reported case is without recorded precedent in Britain or Ireland. On average the period of incubation in this outbreak seems to be somewhat longer than in previous outbreaks.