THE Government last night played down fears over the spread of a cattle disease which can infect humans.

The Government was preparing to cull three cows on an unidentified farm near Middlesbrough suspected of having bovine brucellosis.

The bacterial disease causes cattle to abort their young early and can cause chronic fever in humans who are infected with its strains.

It is passed to humans through contaminated unpasterurised dairy products, or through the infected bodily fluids of an animal.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), said the three cows were among five animals brought into England in September from Northern Ireland, from a herd subsequently found to have brucellosis, which was confirmed by tests last month.

They were placed under movement restrictions and are now subject to a cull.

One of the animals had died earlier this year of an undetermined cause and the remaining animal went to a holding in Scotland.

Last night, a Defra spokesman said: "These animals have not shown any clinical signs of the disease and this is a precautionary measure."

The spokesman said there were no plans to extend movement restrictions to other nearby farms, although restrictions placed on animals on the farm who had been in contact with the affected cows would remain and they would be tested for brucellosis over a period of months.

Defra said it would not name the farm in question as it was not a positive case of brucellosis.

John Rider, a former chairman of the North Riding and Durham branch of the National Farmers' Union, who farms at Barnaby Side, between Middlesbrough and Guisborough, said he was not overly concerned by the news.

He said: "This should not be thought of in the same context as foot-and-mouth.

"It is a disease for which the ministry introduced routine testing procedures a number of years ago."

Brucellosis, which has not occurred in Britain since 1993, is largely a risk to vets and farm workers and its transmission from person to person is rare.

For humans, there is no risk from pasteurised milk, cooked milk or contact with pasteurised animal products.

The Government's chief veterinary officer, Jim Scudamore, said the developments were a stark reminder for farmers to carefully plan the purchase of livestock when restocking herds.

He reminded farmers that all bovine abortions and premature calvings should be reported to divisional veterinary managers.