Farmers angry over 'greed' comment

The comments have angered farmers

Controversial comments by senior government figures suggesting farmers are greedy and benefiting from the foot-and-mouth crisis have provoked anger among the farming community.

Agriculture minister with responsibility for animal health Elliot Morley called farmers "a pretty ungrateful lot" and rural recovery co-ordinator Lord Haskins said they were better off than ever before.

According to The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Morley's comments were made before the foot-and-mouth crisis, in a letter to a constituent sent following last year's fuel protests.

Disease facts

Total: 1,944

New cases Saturday: 2

Slaughtered: 3,716,000

Awaiting slaughter: 15,000

Awaiting disposal: 3,000

Angry farm leaders said such views would antagonise the very sensitive feelings of communities struggling with the effects of the disease.

In the letter Mr Morley said: "No one in this country has a guaranteed right to an income or a living and businesses change all the time.

"I sometimes think that farmers are a pretty ungrateful lot."

He did however concede that farmers were left with "difficult choices" and although the outburst came ahead of foot-and-mouth, it coincided with a crisis in farming which saw many facing financial ruin.

Financial ruin

In a statement the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said Mr Morley's comments had not been aimed at all farmers but only those taking part in the fuel protests who did not enjoy the support of the wider farming community.

"His letter in fact poses questions about the future of farming rather than levelling accusations," the statement said.

"Of course there will always be some demands that we are not able to meet but the government remains committed to working with farmers to secure a sustainable, vibrant and viable future for farming and the wider rural community."

Elliot Morley: farmers are 'ungrateful'

Sources close to Mr Morley pointed out that his letter had been written in his capacity as a constituency MP rather than as an agriculture minister.

Lord Haskins told the Sunday Telegraph he thought those who had lost their herds through foot-and-mouth were better off than those who had not.

He said: "What I know is that in this foot-and-mouth crisis, the people who have economically come out best of all have been the farmers who have had foot-and-mouth.

Sensitive

"They have lost their assets but they have got the interest on the money until they re-stock."

The president of the National Farmers' Union (NFU), Ben Gill, said Lord Haskins' comments were insensitive and showed how "out of touch" he was with reality.

Speaking on the BBC One's Breakfast with Frost programme: "If he carries on making statements such as this, all he is going to do is antagonise the very sensitive feelings that are prevalent throughout the areas he has been asked to look at.

Ben Gill: comments will antagonise

"What we need to do is have sensitivity and understanding for a region that in north Cumbria has had 75% of its livestock killed and is under extreme tension at the moment.

He added that people's thoughts should be with both farmers who have been 'slaughtered out' and those he called "the forgotten farmers".

"Those in many cases who have livestock on their farms, who have fought this virus off during that period and have had very little or no income during it," he said.