Britain was finally declared free of foot-and-mouth at midnight on the 14th of January. Almost 11 months after the first case was confirmed DEFRA announced that Northumberland – where the disease was initially traced to Heddon on the Wall – was to have its "at risk" status lifted.
The outbreak in Britain saw 2,030 confirmed cases, with almost 6 million animals slaughtered – the majority of which were culled as a precaution. The direct cost to the taxpayer is estimated at £3 billion, with tourism and other rural businesses losing hundreds of millions over the past year.
"This is the news that farmers across the UK have been waiting for. We all hope that this is truly the beginning of the end."-Ben Gill the president of the National farmers Union.
