Army Begins Killing Sheep in Britain

Army butchers began slaughtering sheep in northern England on Wednesday, and Britain received the green light to vaccinate thousands of cattle against foot-and-mouth disease. Officials, however, are still debating whether to use the last-ditch measure.

Veterinary experts from the European Union approved the government’s request for authorization to vaccinate as many as 180,000 dairy cattle.

British officials had not yet decided whether to vaccinate. Britain has sought to use inoculation only as a last resort because it would keep other nations’ doors shut to its livestock exports, as inoculated animals are difficult to distinguish from those carrying the virus.

The EU said that such a vaccination campaign would be limited to cattle in the hardest-hit counties--100,000 in Cumbria, in northwestern England, and 80,000 in Devon, in the southwest.

With British agriculture officials struggling to slaughter animals fast enough to contain the disease, the military--which until now provided only logistical support--began helping with the cull in Cumbria County.