-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! Farms: from crisis to epidemic Fordyce Maxwell, Farming Editor A further five cases of foot-and-mouth disease were confirmed yesterday , taking the total to 12 and involving 7,000 animals in Britain’s worst outbreak since 1967 as experts said the crisis was increasingly likely to become an epidemic. Two cases were confirmed in Devon and one in Wiltshire, all linked conclusively to the Devon outbreak confirmed on Sunday. Other cases were at Westerhope, Northumberland, linked to the Heddon-on-the-Wall pig farm still suspected by Ministry of Agriculture vets as the original source of infection, and at a farm in Hereford. Last night, ministry vets were investigating Nether Place Farm, Lockerbie, Dumfries-shire, and still carrying out tests at farm near Bowsden, Northumberland, only a few miles from the Border. The result of tests on pigs at Banks Farm, Fyvie, Aberdeenshire, are expected today . The expert view that cold weather and snow might encourage, rather than kill, the virus which is a particularly virulent strain , was heeded by Scottish Borders Council which announced that it would restrict road clearing operations and keep rural services, such as rubbish collection vehicles, away from the hundreds of farms in its area. The list of new cases - with 1,800 cattle, 1,600 pigs and 3,500 sheep now either slaughtered or about to be slaughtered - grew longer as Prime Minister Tony Blair vowed that government would take every necessary step to fight the outbreak. He said: "It is extremely serious. There is no doubt at all that there will be huge anxiety amongst farmers the length and breadth of the country." He added: "We have simply got to wait and see how widespread this disease is. Whatever is needed to tackle and eradicate it, those steps we will take." Nick Brown, minister of agriculture, in a statement to the Commons said: "The government is determined to eliminate the disease." He emphasised again that there was no threat to human health or food safety and that there was no threat of disruption to food supplies in spite of the seven-day restriction on all livestock movement in Britain, except poultry and milk supplies. He urged the public to co-operate in helping avoid any risk of spreading the disease by staying away from the countryside, particularly livestock areas, but hinted that could be backed by temporary closure of rights of way and footpaths. He will brief other European Union farm ministers on the outbreak this morning . Yesterday in spite of praise from some EU ministers for Britain’s handling of the crisis, Germany and Holland were slaughtering stock where there was any hint of contact with Britain. The standing veterinary committee of the EU will discuss the outbreak today. Ross Finnie, rural development minister, said that the Scottish executive, would maintain movement restrictions because the disease did not recognise national borders. He added: "There are still no confirmed cases in Scotland. But we must remain greatly concerned and we will maintain our tough controls." Much of Britain’s rural community is now under siege with children kept away from school and many families are confined on farms under exclusion orders as investigations are carried out. The massive Countryside Alliance march planned for London next month has been cancelled and international rugby matches are under threat. The National Farmers Union of Scotland will probably cancel its annual meeting at Dunblane next week. *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. 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