Foot & mouth alert last weekend

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1 min
Published:
09 March 2001
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Alarm bells started to ring at Arla Foods in Denmark last Saturday afternoon when seven farms belonging to co-operative owners in Lemvig were quarantined after one suspected case of foot and mouth.

A control centre was immediately established in Holstebro. From here an internal security plan was launched in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Danish Dairy Board and the Danish Food Directorate.
Precautions included disinfecting pipes, boots and gloves when milk tankers visited a farm, and disinfecting all tankers each time they delivered milk to Holstebro.
By late evening, however, preliminary tests proved negative and by Monday, the cow had been cleared. Precautions remain in force throughout Denmark.
A similar incident occurred in Stockholm when a dairy cow was also suspected of having contracted the disease. Once again, however, tests proved negative.
Last Friday, Arla Foods closed its dairies to all comers not involved in the dairies’ operations. Staff were also advised to observe the special quarantine regulations when visiting farms.

Arla Foods is an international dairy company owned by more than 8,400 farmers from Denmark, Sweden, the UK, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Arla Foods is one of the leading players in the international dairy arena with well-known brands like Arla®, Lurpak®, Puck® and Castello®. Arla Foods is focused on providing good dairy nourishment from sustainable farming and operations and is also the world's largest manufacturer of organic dairy products.

Press contact

Arla Group Press Office
Arla Group Press Office (journalists/media only) pressoffice@arlafoods.com +4591310310