In the idyllic setting of the Beijing countryside a short drive north of the Great Wall, a secret slaughter is taking place.
Hundreds, possibly thousands, of cows have been killed in Dabailou village since the start of the month in a frantic attempt to stem one of China’s worst foot and mouth disease scares.
But instead of warning the nation’s farmers and turning the village into a quarantine area, the authorities have mounted a botched attempt to cover up the news.