Britain’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed Tuesday the existence of a third case of foot-and-mouth disease in the country’s southern region.

Tests revealed that animals at a small farm near Egham, Surrey county have been infected with the highly contagious disease, prompting authorities to slaughter them as a precautionary measure.

Two cases were confirmed on September 12 at farms in Egham, authorities imposing a 10-kilometre surveillance area. This new case is located inside the containment zone, but it proves that the outbreak wasn’t contained and specialists will have a hard time finding a solution to this crisis.

Last week’s outbreak was reported just a few days after the government said the disease was routed out of Surrey. Hundreds of animals have been culled, measure which sparked discontent among farmers in the region, many criticizing the government for lifting the restrictions to early

But government officials rejected the accusations, saying the decision didn’t lead to this new outbreak. Furthermore, it denied allegations that Britain’s chief veterinary officer was pressured to declare Britain “foot-and-mouth-free.”

“This was a decision that was made on the basis of scientific evidence. It was a decision made by the chief vet and supported by many academic experts,” Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s spokesman said last week.

All three cases are located near the Pirbright laboratories, which are believed to be the source of last month’s outbreak. Investigations revealed biosecurity breaches and a malfunction of the drainage system at the research site, issues which might have played a decisive role in the virus’ spreading.

In August, more than 600 animals were slaughtered in Surrey following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, the farming sector receiving a huge blow.

Meanwhile, the European Commission took immediate action and again banned all exports of meat from Britain, declaring the country a “high-risk zone.”