Farm virus laws 'to be relaxed'

Farmers say the restrictions affect their livelihood

Controversial regulations controlling the movement of farm animals in the wake of the foot-and-mouth crisis could soon be relaxed, the government has said.

Farmers were told an enforced 20-day ban on all livestock movements - which begins when new animals are introduced - may be reduced.

The "standstill" period has been criticised by farmers for threatening their livelihoods because it limits their ability to take animals to market.

Andrew George, the Liberal Democrats' food and rural affairs secretary, said it was time that the government eased the restrictions.

He said: "The movement ban regulations are becoming unenforceable and their lack of flexibility is bringing the Government's own credibility into disrepute."

'Under consideration'

Among the options being considered are plans to cut the standstill period to six days.

It is thought that such a move would be accompanied by new bio-security measures on farms, markets and during transportation to prevent new outbreaks of disease.

Footage of animal pyres hit tourism hard

A spokesman for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said any changes were "still under consideration."

The 20-day quarantine period was introduced at the height of the foot-and-mouth epidemic, after the disease quickly spread between farms.

It led to the slaughter of more than six million animals and is estimated to have cost the UK as much as £4bn.

Tourism collapsed as travel in many parts of the British countryside was banned and foreign tourists cancelled trips after seeing images of animal carcasses being burned in huge pyres.

Animal passports

The likely decision to relax the rules comes just a week after it emerged that trading standards officers discovered that thousands of animals were being moved illegally by farmers and livestock dealers.

In Surrey reports involved the illegal dealing of sheep across three county borders.

And in Cornwall officials targeted dealers and farmers trading hundreds of cattle without keeping records, including animal passports.

Farmers' leaders have argued that less strict movement regulations will reduce the incentive to break the law.