Farming's white-knuckle ride

Are the foot-and-mouth clusters in North Yorkshire and Lancashire the start of a terrible new phase, or a nerve-jangling "blip" in an improving situation? asks BBC North of England correspondent Mike Mckay

Farmers in the affected regions are frankly unsure which scenario is the right one as they batten down for the latest wave of foot-and-mouth outbreaks on their own doorstep.

The official line from the Ministry of Agriculture, still smarting from criticism of its earlier response back in February, is that the current spread across the North of England is more or less under control - but no reason to relax security measures.

The National Farmers' Union want to believe that. But in North Yorkshire they have been alarmed by the warnings of a visiting Scottish farmer with experience of the outbreak in Dumfries and Galloway.

BBC North of England correspondent Mike Mckay

Steve Dew, a full-time NFU official in Skipton, said the farmer had told them that the measures being taken to combat the disease in Yorkshire did not appear to be anything like as rigorous as those adopted in Scotland.

There, the policy was to cull all animals in the 3km infected zones.

In Yorkshire and Lancashire culling is limited to infected animals and those on directly neighbouring farms - a much more conservative approach.

The Scots farmer also noted that, whereas his colleagues north of the border had been detecting a handful of animals with symptoms, in Yorkshire farmers were reporting up to 200 out of 300 animals showing signs.

Risk assessment

"If this analysis is right, the thought that we might be on the edge of a major new outbreak chills us to the bone," said Steve Dew.

Which is why the NFU is pressing the government's chief vet, Jim Scudamore, to come to up to Yorkshire and Lancashire and provide a warts-and-all assessment of the risk their members face.

Culled animals await disposal on North Yorkshire's Malham Moor

Maff officials in Yorkshire say they have had no advice about an imminent visit by Mr Scudamore.

There is dark speculation that the government and Maff are playing down the true dimensions of the new outbreak - at least until the election is over.

Maff officials certainly have no plans for a Cumbria-style "firebreak" cull, the massive interventions which created such anguish amid the smoking pyres.

They point out that the Lancashire outbreaks - seven in the last nine days - are part of the same cluster affecting Yorkshire, and that at least three of the cases are linked through licensed animal movement between the two counties.

Joint operation

Maff add that they have been diagnosing and culling within 24 hours, a level of urgency they believe is helping them to stay on top of the outbreak.

They are setting up a joint army/Maff operations centre at Gisburn livestock market - a venue which, at its peak, turns round 10,000 animals a week.

It is not hard to see why farmers are nervous.

The region around Clitheroe and Settle, in North Yorkshire, is one of the most densely populated livestock areas in the country.

Farmers fear for the future of their livestock

Farming and tourism are the heart of the local economy.

Under these kind of siege conditions, it is not surprising that many farmers bridle at the notion that it is their own activity - the movement of animals and vehicles - which may have assisted the latest outbreak.

The fact that it may have been perfectly lawful, licensed movement does not make it any easier to accept.

There is no more placid scene than the Dales and the Forest of Bowland.

But there is a white-knuckle atmosphere beyond the farm-gate.