Sabotage Suspected in Disease Outbreak

(Dorking, England) Livestock at three farms within three miles of an animal research facility have been infected with foot and mouth disease (FMD) and authorities are suggesting it was sabotage.

The suspected new outbreak came as a scientist called in to investigate whether the virus had escaped from an animal health research plant said yesterday that sabotage was fast becoming the only explanation.

Andrew King, who was brought in by the Institute of Animal Health (IAH), in Pirbright, Surrey, suggested that it was time to call in the police.

Dr King, a former head of molecular biology at the IAH, said that biosecurity was so tight that he felt the outbreak had to have been caused deliberately. He told The Times:

"As far as I am concerned the authorities have failed to find any chink in the armoury of the establishment's bio-security. What you are left with is human movement, which is not a matter for the institute, it's a police matter. It's very, very unlikely that it could be spread by accident. People do not spread the disease easily."

Dr King added that the longest period after which the virus had ever been recovered from the human body after heavy exposure was 48 hours, and that involved a full body search. To pass the virus from human to cow “you would have to hug a cow and breathe down its nose”, he said.

I would suggest investigating possible "guess the religion" bumper sticker employees on the payroll at the animal research facility. One shouldn't ever rule out the chance of a sleeper jihadist.

On the other hand, the UK has tolerated a vigorous, and sometimes criminal, animal rights movement. It's possible that an activist could rationalize wiping out a few animals for the sake of destroying an entire industry.