SHANGHAI: Authorities slaughtered more than 400 cows after foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) infected cattle at a farm in Fengxian district on the outskirts of the city.

The National Foot and Mouth Disease Reference Laboratory, under the Ministry of Agriculture, confirmed the disease on Wednesday after 41 cows in the Wusi cattle farm started showing symptoms last week.

However, the government's press office yesterday maintained there was no reason to panic as the outbreak appeared to be "isolated to just one farm".