NEW animal movement classifications announced this week label much of the North of England as "high risk."

Strict controls will be imposed but, although it means no animals can be moved in or out of the area, movements will be allowed within the zone.

It means the current red box area will be removed when the new regulations come in on September 24, when cattle and pigs can be moved in the high risk counties. Sheep can be moved from October 1.

However all movements will require a licence from trading standards and will be subject to biosecurity controls.

Where the movement is more than 10km, all vehicles must be cleansed, disinfected and a numbered seal applied at an approved cleansing and disinfection centre. Where it is below 10km all vehicles must be cleansed and disinfected.

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, Leeds, Stockport and Sunderland.

The other two categories are "at risk" which includes the metropolitan districts of Newcastle, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, and Kirklees.

The East Riding of Yorkshire is FMD free.

Defra was sending the full details of the new restrictions to each livestock producer.

Mr David Smith, chairman of the National Sheep Association, gave the annoucement a tentative welcome: "The controls will not please everyone, nevertheless they are a lot better than some of the ideas being talked about a few weeks ago."

He welcomed a concession which would allow animals to be moved out of "at risk" areas in exceptional circumstances.

Mr Smith said the priority now had to be ensuring that as many breeding sheep as possible were kept in place to help provide the strong and vibrant industry the government had called for.