A new outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease could spread across the country as quickly as the 2001 epidemic, according to a new report.

The South West farming community was devastated by the disease two years ago.

Now research by the University of Newcastle says gaps in records of the movements of sheep are leaving the region vulnerable to another serious outbreak.

The fast and extensive spread of the 2001 outbreak was exacerbated by sheep movements.

The report calls for every sheep to have an ID tag

Animals from Northumberland, which were harbouring the disease, were moved from Hexham to Devon, through a Cumbrian auction.

The report says the problem still exists and warns some animal movements are not being recorded, making traceability even harder.

To tackle the problem, it calls for every sheep to have an individual tag or passport, like cattle.

It also wants auction marts and abattoirs to be located closer to the regions where sheep are reared, so live animal journeys are kept to a minimum.

Minimise transportation

The report, which followed a year-long study, also recommends a strategic review of the fat lamb supply chain.

Speaking on Radio Four's Today programme, the head of the report team, Dr Michael Bourlakis, said: "We need to fully implement the traceability mechanisms in the fat lamb chain and minimise animal transportation.

"Things have got better since the 2001 outbreak. The 20-day animal standstill rule was a really positive step.

"But we need to develop more local auction marts and abattoirs.

Large abattoirs

"We still have large abattoirs in the UK, mainly in the south, and this has created animal transportation and movement all over the country."

A spokesperson for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it would consider the report carefully.

But he said Defra had introduced a number of measures to try to prevent foot-and-mouth spreading so quickly if it appeared again.

These included better disease surveillance, improved bio security on farms, new sheep identification regulations and the animal standstill rule.