Foot and mouth report points finger at lab

By Nigel Hunt

LONDON (Reuters) - An investigation into an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Britain last month has highlighted biosecurity breaches at a government-funded laboratory.

"There was some evidence of a complacency on safety at IAH (Institute of Animal Health)," Brian Spratt, who chaired a government investigation into the source of the outbreak, told a news conference on Friday.

Foot and mouth disease was confirmed on two farms in Surrey with the first case declared on August 3.

The outbreak has been traced back to the Pirbright research centre, just a few miles from the site of the outbreak, where work was undertaken on developing foot and mouth vaccines.

"There can be no excuse for the fact that foot and mouth escaped from the Pirbright lab. It must not happen again," said Britain's farm and environment minister, Hilary Benn.

The site houses two laboratories. One is run by the IAH and the other by Merial, a private company owned by U.S. firm Merck and French firm Sanofi-Aventis.

Spratt said the Merial site was "modern and well maintained" and had "no problem with biosecurity" while the IAH laboratory was an "ageing facility and was due to be replaced".

"Maintaining safety in an old facility is challenging and expensive," he noted.