Crisis in the UK

Cases confirmed on Monday 33 Total confirmed cases 943 345,000 animals due for slaughter 610,000 animals have been slaughtered 432,000 carcasses destroyed

The controversial decision about whether to vaccinate livestock against foot-and-mouth disease has been further delayed.

After a meeting with farmers in Cumbria on Monday, Agriculture Minister Nick Brown said those he met were firmly against vaccination.

"The message from farmers is very clear, they want the government to continue the current policy and see it through to the conclusion," he said.

Tony Blair: 'Receptive' to vaccination strategy

But Tony Blair received a different message when he met Patrick Holden, director of organic farming charity, the Soil Association, on Monday.

Mr Holden said the prime minister had appeared receptive to a strategy of vaccination.

A Downing Street spokesman said vaccination remained "a live option but don't expect a decision imminently".

Mixed fortunes for farms

Foot-and-mouth has spread to a new area, with Bristol affected for the first time.

The disease has been identified at a community farm in the Lawrence Weston area of the city.

However, it has emerged that 280 sheep and 20 cattle slaughtered in South Yorkshire proved to be a false alarm.

Tests have established the area's first suspect case at a farm in Rotherham was not in fact foot-and-mouth disease.

It is current Maff policy to slaughter animals quickly when symptoms are spotted rather than wait for test results.

A Maff spokeswoman said: "It's tragic for the farmer, but good news for South Yorkshire."

Slaughter has begun in the Forest of Dean

The government has now given the go-ahead for the burial of 3,000 cattle carcasses in Cumbria.

The carcasses were held for 24 hours because of fears of a BSE-risk to public health.

The number of outbreaks in the UK reached 943 by Monday evening.

More than 955,000 animals have been earmarked for slaughter, with 345,000 waiting to be killed and 178,000 carcasses awaiting disposal.

Shadow Agriculture Secretary Tim Yeo said "the remorseless rise" in the waiting-list of animals to be slaughtered showed the situation was still out of control.

'Tourism cabinet'

The English Tourism Council has set up a "tourism cabinet" to work out a foot-and-mouth recovery plan for the industry, with an immediate focus on the vital Easter and May bank holidays.

And the Ramblers Association has urged councils to reopen some footpaths in areas not infected with foot-and-mouth.

To speed up the disposal of carcasses a former open quarry near Ashington in Northumberland will start to receive carcasses on Tuesday.

This is in addition to a landfill site in County Durham, unveiled on Friday, for up to 150,000 carcasses.

High Court challenge dropped

Many farmers have warned against vaccination because it would end Britain's disease-free status and could mean �1bn lost in meat export revenues.

On Monday, publisher-turned-organic farmer Peter Kindersley withdrew his High Court challenge to the government's policy of slaughtering healthy animals saying he had only wanted to get vaccination on the agenda.