A decision on whether to use vaccination to control foot-and-mouth in the UK is imminent, the UK government's chief scientific adviser said yesterday.
Prof David King was speaking after meeting farmers in Cumbria, many of whom were doubtful about the scheme, which the local MP, Mr David Maclean, warned could earn the county pariah status.
A further 14 cases were confirmed in the UK yesterday, bringing the total to 1,334.
The Scottish Executive yesterday confirmed a further case at a farm in Dumfries, bringing the Scottish total to 155.
The Conservative Party accused the government of "dithering" after the junior Agriculture Minister, Baroness Hayman, insisted vaccination remained only a contingency plan on which further consultation was needed. The proposed campaign would be limited to around 500,000 cattle at present wintering in barns in Cumbria and Devon, Prof King said.
He stressed that the inoculations, which could be completed in 10 to 14 days, would not replace the slaughter policy.
"Slaughter has been very effective in controlling this epidemic and must continue to be our major policy. What we are discussing here is a supplement to that," he explained. Prof King acknowledged farmers' concerns that vaccination would make their produce unsaleable, but insisted there was no bar to meat and milk from vaccinated cattle entering the food chain.
The Food Standards Agency had made it absolutely clear no human health implications were raised, he said.
Prof King said that farmers' co-operation would be "absolutely vital" to any vaccination programme.
The Regional National Farmers' Union director, Mr Steve Heaton, said many farmers considered it "a leap in the dark".
The shadow agriculture minister, Mr Tim Yeo, said: "The longer the Government dithers over vaccination, the more their failure to control foot-and-mouth disease is exposed.
"Having failed to carry out the slaughter policy effectively, ministers must now make clear without delay what the scientists recommend on vaccination. We will support new measures to control foot-and-mouth disease provided they are based upon sound science."