1.   Animals contract the infection by eating feed that has been supplemented by the tissues of other infected animals.

2.   But the number of infected animals has been Declining in recent years.

3.   Meat from the infected animals is regarded as a serious health risk.

4.   The carcasses of the infected animals were burned.

5.   The Decision to kill the infected animals was a heart-rending one for farmers.

6.   The only way to stop the virus spreading is by slaughtering all infected animals.

7.   The rate at which infected animals were being killed was accelerating, Prof King said.

8.   To be sure, scientists have created disease by inoculating animals with brain tissue from infected animals.

9.   The disease spreads by sexual contact between infected animals.

10.   MAFF officials and farmers are opposed to the culling of the offspring of infected animals, as they believe that the disease will die out anyway.