(2) what compensation is available to farmers who lose livestock due to foot and mouth where the cause of the outbreak has been traced to leaks from the Pirbright centre; and if he will make a statement.
The Animal Health Act 1981 and Human Rights legislation requires that compensation is paid for animals compulsorily culled and property confiscated and subsequently destroyed to prevent the spread of disease. It requires that for foot and mouth disease (FMD), compensation is paid for all animals compulsorily slaughtered at the market value before the animal became infected. The farmers whose animals were culled have all received compensation on this basis.