Damning report on disease outbreak

There were a number of "mini-epidemics" across the UK

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

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."

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".

Inquiry opposed

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."

The report condemns the government for presuming that any outbreak would remain localised.

Standstill rule

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."