THE world's oldest living breed of cattle is under renewed threat after sheep on adjoining land had to be culled.

North Northumberland had been free of the foot-and-mouth up until a few weeks ago when a case was reported at a farm in the village of Millfield, ten miles from where the Chillingham herd wander freely in 360 acres of enclosed land.

But days ago, 1,400 sheep and 1,000 lambs from the adjacent Harehope Estate were culled under the contiguous contact rules, though showing no signs of the disease.

Now the future of the herd hangs in the balance as Maff officials assess whether they should be killed off.

The animals have been bred for more than 700 years, and are kept in a secure enclosure, narrowly surviving the last major outbreak in 1967.

The herd, the closest relatives of the prehistoric great ox, are not used for milking or meat

Read more about Foot-and-Mouth here.