Pedigree cows valued at thousands of pounds each and individually named by their owners have had to be slaughtered in the second outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Bradford.

John and Pam Varley, of Myrtle Grove Farm, Queensbury, have seen all 19 of their small herd killed.

The valuable Limousin cattle are treated like pets, and have been shown at agricultural shows all over the country, including the Great Yorkshire Show. Among the herd was a highly-prized cow that fetched the highest price of any pedigree British Limousin last year - 4,000 guineas.

Mr Varley noticed one of the cows - called Natalie - was off colour and drooling on Friday morning and immediately called in experts, according to Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food vet Jeremy Jones. By the time that case was confirmed, another cow, called Nora, sister to a Smithfield champion, was also showing signs of the disease.

The small farm was still cordoned off today as the carcasses are prepared for incineration. It is a kilometre away as the crow flies from the scene of the West Yorkshire's first outbreak of foot and mouth at Bobby Green Farm, Queensbury.

Today Mr and Mrs Varley were too distressed to speak.

Mr Jones said: "These were pedigree animals which have been shown at the Great Yorkshire Show and all over the country.

"The owners are very upset because they knew all of these cattle by name, they were more like pets than farm animals.

"The farmers around here have all been going out to check their animals every half an hour. Because these ones were looked after like pets, the early signs were picked up very quickly.

"Natalie was off colour, she was slobbering, and they were so good to report it so soon. I sedated her and could see she had blisters on her feet. I believe she's picked up the infection, and passed it on to the others."

He said it was possible the infection had been carried on the wind from Bobby Green farm, or by someone walking over the land.

He said the swift action at the Varley's farm had hopefully prevented further problems and the farm had been sprayed with disinfectant.

John Gullet, the National Farmers' Union West Riding council delegate who owns a farm in Buttershaw, said it was a hammer-blow for farmers in the district.

"We were all hoping to get through to Tuesday or Wednesday - that would have been 14 days since the outbreak at Bobby Green Farm which is the incubation period.

"If we could have got to that, we would have been able to breathe a sigh of relief. Now we're starting from scratch again.

"The virus has skipped over land and a main road to get where it is now. In that area, there's a little group of farms and I'm just fearful it might get to them. But there's nothing we can do now apart from the usual precautions."

Michael Priestley, who owns 240 cattle at Brow Top Farm, is only 600 yards from Myrtle Grove Farm.

"Everybody's concerned - it's horrendous," he said. " Chaps are ringing me up from down the road.

"Up to now we didn't think it would land on our doorstep."

l Another case of foot and mouth was confirmed in Yorkshire this weekend at a farm in Buttersett, North Yorkshire.