Taking precautions to ensure that the cloven-hoofed animals at Cornell remain safe from foot-and-mouth disease, which has decimated herds and flocks in Britain, the university's Department of Animal Science has implemented a ban on guest visits to two animal research facilities.

The new plan, which went into effect on March 28, requires that only authorized Cornell employees can go into the dairy, beef and sheep units at the Teaching and Research Center in Harford, N.Y., and to the Cornell Swine Farm in Ithaca. Foot-and-mouth disease is highly contagious to cloven-hoofed animals. "This ban will remain in force until further notice. It will not be removed until we are convinced that the present European outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease has been controlled," said Alan Bell, chairman of animal science, in Cornell's New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, in a memorandum to department employees.

In addition to the ban on unauthorized visitors and personnel going to these facilities, the animal science department has developed policies for animal-related teaching and extension events to be held on campus in coming months. With the implementation of these new policies, Bell said he hopes that "we can offer reasonable but responsible courses of action to minimize risk of introduction of foot-and-mouth disease to Cornell animals."

In animals such as cows, sheep and pigs, foot-and-mouth disease causes blisters in the mouth and feet, making it painful for them to eat or walk. In young animals, the disease can be fatal, but most adult animals recover from the blisters. However, it can take livestock months to regain lost weight, and cows rarely recover their normal milk production. "There is no problem of foot-and-mouth disease in the United States, and we want to keep it that way," says Larry Chase, Cornell associate professor of animal science. "People in this industry are being very conservative, and other universities are doing similar things. We have heard of some commercial dairy farms that have implemented similar policies."