2001 UK foot and mouth crisis

The outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the United Kingdom in the spring and summer of 2001 caused a crisis in British agriculture and tourism. The epidemic saw 2,000 cases of the disease in farms in Essex, Tyne and Wear, Devon, Cornwall, Gwynedd, Cumbria and southern Scotland. Around seven million sheep and cattle were culled in an eventually successful attempt to halt the disease. Cumbria was the worst affected area of the country with 843 cases. This damaged the popularity of the Lake District as a tourist destination. By the time the disease was halted by October 2001, the crisis was estimated to have cost Britain £8bn ($15bn).

Related Topics:
Foot and mouth - Agriculture - Tourism - Essex - Tyne and Wear - Devon - Cornwall - Gwynedd - Cumbria - Scotland - Lake District

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