NEW foot-and-mouth disease regulations allowing cattle and pigs to be moved within high-risk counties have come into force this week.

The controls do not allow animals to be moved in or out of the high-risk area.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) region operations director John Bradbury said last night: "We sympathise with farmers. In normal circumstances, we all know autumn is the busiest time of the year for the movement of livestock.

"But this year circumstances are far from normal. Our aim is to have the maximum effect on the disease while having the minimum effect on farmers."

All movement will require a licence from trading standards and will be subject to biosecurity controls.

Where the movement is more than 10km, vehicles must be cleansed, disinfected and a numbered seal applied at an approved cleansing and disinfection centre. No livestock markets will be allowed.

The high-risk counties are North Yorkshire, Durham, Northumberland and Cumbria. The high-risk unitary authorities are Darlington, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton, York, Calderdale, Gateshead and Sunderland.

Defra has sent details of restrictions to livestock producers, with sheep movements allowed from Monday.