British finance chief Gordon Brown warned on Tuesday that the repercussions of the foot-and-mouth outbreak could affect the whole British economy if it drags on.
"Of course, if this problem continues over a long period of time it's got major effects on agriculture and effects on the rest of the economy," Brown told a parliament committee on economic matters.
But he rejected the latest estimates put forward by one research institute that the impact on farming and the wider economy would wipe nine billion pounds (14.2 billion euros, 12.9 billion dollars) from gross domestic product (GDP) this year.
The estimate was drawn up by the private Centre for Economic and Business Research, but Brown said he did "not accept the very big numbers".
British gross domestic product is expected to grow 2.25-2.75 percent this year, but Brown warned that there was "absolutely no doubt" that the US downturn would start nagging at growth before long.
But for now Britain continues to find markets for its exports: trade figures for February showed a deficit that was much lower than expected, owing mainly to exports, which grew 2.5 percent – LONDON (AFP)
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