- The government's handling of last year's foot-and-mouth
outbreak has been criticised in a new report.
-
- A draft document drawn up by a special European Parliament
committee says the government's policies traumatised farmers and broke
animal welfare laws.
-
- Its committee of inquiry blames officialdom for adding
to farmers' woes with red tape and bureaucratic delays in dealing with
the disposal of slaughtered animals.
-
- Mass slaughter led to the loss of almost seven million
animals and a compensation bill to farmers of £1.3bn.
-
- "The report is a damning indictment of the way
the government responded to the crisis."
- -- Dr Caroline Lucas, Green Party MEP
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- National Farmers' Union north-west spokesman, Gill Shearer,
told BBC News Online: "We have said throughout the outbreak that the
government's handling of the situation was pretty awful.
-
- "This report looks like someone is saying the same
once again, and we hope the government sits up and takes notice."
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- The European Parliament says the slimming down of the
state veterinary service over a 20-year period "weakened the capacity
for responding to the crisis".
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- Inquiry opposed
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- The report is the first result of the year-long inquiry,
in which a cross-party panel of MEPs has been taking evidence.
-
- It comes a year after the last reported outbreak of the
disease in Cumbria.
-
- Dr Caroline Lucas, the inquiry's vice president and Green
Party MEP for South East England, said: "The report is a damning indictment
of the way the government responded to the crisis.
-
- "The British Government opposed the inquiry, just
as it opposed any public inquiry into the outbreak at a domestic level,
but I hope it will listen and learn."
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- The report condemns the government for presuming that
any outbreak would remain localised.
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- Standstill rule
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- In the end, the scale of the February 2001 outbreak,
which contained 12 "mini-epidemics", was unprecedented in the
history of the disease.
-
- The National Farmers' Union says the 20-day animal movement
restriction is still putting unbearable pressure on farmers.
-
- The rule means no livestock can be moved from a farm
within 20 days of an animal being brought onto the premises.
-
- Ms Shearer said: "The government doesn't seem to
realise the effect the rule is having on farmers, which is preventing many
sales this autumn."
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- <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/services/copyright/html/default.stm>©
MMII BBC News
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2289449.stm
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