Find out more about how foot-and-mouth has spread throughout the UK since the first cases were confirmed on 20 February. These graphs will be updated as and when the government releases new figures.

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According to the latest available Maff figures (week ending 29 April) the number of confirmed cases had reached approximately 1,570. The graph below shows the cumulative total over ten weeks:

In the week ending 29 April there was a drop from 16 to 7 in the average number of daily cases being reported. This revises down the previous reported daily average of 11 cases.

Scientists at London's Imperial College predicted that the worst case scenario was unlikely to happen if strict control measures were in place and maintained until the danger had passed. The most important measure has been, they say, the slaughter of infected animals within 24 hours and those on surrounding farms within 48 hours. This graph shows the possible scale of the epidemic compared to what has actually been taking place:

One of the most important comparisons to be made is between this outbreak and that of 1967. The past weeks have shown a dip in cases as the disease has come under control:

From slaughter to disposal

Earlier in the outbreak, this page included graphs and statistics measuring how well Maff was dealing with the scale of the identification, slaughter and disposal of livestock.

However, Maff has changed the methodology for the collation of these figures, making it difficult at the present time to draw firm conclusions about how the crisis was dealt with on a week-to-week basis.

What appears to be clear, however, is that prior to the Army being called in on 13 March to manage the logistics of disposing of livestock, the problem was becoming increasingly worse.

In the subsequent weeks, the daily average head of slaughtered cattle disposed of rose dramatically.