If a foot-and-mouth-infected animal was found, Defra still plans to immediately cull it and all other susceptible animals on an infected premises, for example a farm or auction mart. That is the EU-wide policy a tough foot-and-mouth policy that Britain fought to get on Europe's statute books.

l There would be an immediate ban on all animal movements something that was slow to happen in 2001 and contributed to the UK-wide spread of the disease.

l Any dangerous contacts', i.e. animals that might have been exposed to infection through vehicle and animal movements or people, would also be slaughtered.

l Crucially, the plan is not for an automatic cull of neighbouring (contiguous) premises unless a potential route for infection is identified by a vet. The contiguous cull led to the slaughter of millions of healthy animals four years ago.

l Defra can choose to use emergency vaccination, for example, as a firebreak' around infected premises.

l It has stocked up the UK vaccine bank with sufficient antigens to make more than 20 million doses of foot-and-mouth vaccine, enough to immunise the UK's 10 million cattle.

l Genus Plc has been appointed as an agent to carry out mass vaccination. However, whether Defra will use vaccination is not entirely clear. It states: "The decision whether to vaccinate commercial livestock in any particular area is a very complex one and would have to be taken in the face of many uncertainties."

l The Defra contingency plan contains a decision tree' setting out criteria for a vaccination decision, for example, the density of livestock in an infected area. It states the policy would be "vaccinate-to-live wherever possible" - vaccinated animals could live out their normal economic lives.