Culling condemned at inquiry

Images of pyres put people off the countryside

Tourism leaders at a public inquiry into foot-and-mouth disease in Devon have called for an end to mass culling.

South West Tourism chief executive, Malcolm Bell, said culling thousands of animals as the only method of controlling the disease was not justified.

He told the inquiry panel on the second day of the five-day hearing in Exeter that vaccination should be considered as a future option.

If culling has to be done, carcasses should be stored discreetly, out of the public eye

Malcolm Bell, South West Tourism

During the crisis, 173 cases of foot-and-mouth were confirmed in the county and 390,000 animals were slaughtered.

Mr Bell criticised the way piles of dead animals were left lying in full view of public roads and the images shown on television and in newspapers.

He said he did not blame the media for using the images, but thought in future, screens and scaffolding should be used to shield the public.

"If culling has to be done, carcasses should be stored discreetly, out of the public eye, and should be destroyed within 48 hours after the cull," he said.

"I think people thought we had gone back to the Dark Ages."

Mr Bell also voiced concern that the images of pyres had made a huge impression on those that saw them.

'Damage limitation'

He told the inquiry 30% of the population of the UK still thought it was dangerous to go into the countryside because of pollution from the pyres.

The media's role in the crisis will be examined by the inquiry in more detail later in the week.

From the outbreak of the foot-and-mouth crisis everything South West Tourism had done was damage limitation, said Mr Bell.

A £1m campaign to promote the region was due to end this month and he estimated a further £1m was needed for a new campaign over the winter and spring.

Signs were put up warning people off infected land

The total loss of business in the county over the year was likely to be in the region of £200m to £300m, he said.

"Speaking to industry operatives, we believe that we will see an upsurge in businesses closing down at the end of the season and through the winter because of foot-and-mouth," said Mr Bell.

Reports this week suggested some parts of Devon are having their best tourist season ever.

Latest indications showed some coastal holiday businesses have had record numbers of customers, and are still enjoying the boom into the autumn.

On Wednesday the inquiry will hear from the police, health service and community groups who helped in the aftermath of the outbreak.

The hearings continue at County Hall, Exeter, until Friday.