Cull was 'chaos and a shambles'

Villagers protested after the cattle escaped

Devon's foot-and-mouth public inquiry today heard that a cattle cull on farmland around a village was "chaos and a shambles".

The inquiry, in its fourth day, was told how in May a herd of Limousin cattle, which was to be culled, escaped into open countryside after smashing through a fence.

Villager Bill Norman said the owner of the Limousins was told to "go away" by officials from the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (Maff), who said they would round up the 18-month-old beasts themselves.

The inquiry is being webcast live

As marksmen began shooting, the herd panicked and clambered into neighbouring fields at Knowstone near Tiverton.

Cattle were then shot while running in the field.

A statement from Knowstone Parish Council said in a few cases, men who came to slaughter cattle did not know anything about animals.

Mr Norman said some animals took four or five shots to kill, adding that shotguns were used on occasions.

Maff officials were described as "appearing to take a delight in making threats to antagonise farmers".

The events were described to the hearing in Exeter as "a dark episode" for the village.

Lorries stuck

Another villager, David Morgan, said that more distress was caused when carcasses were loaded onto lorries, and animal parts, faeces, blood and saliva fell onto the village roadway.

The lorries were then stuck for two days on a hill, which officials were warned might happen.

More body parts, blood, faeces and saliva contaminated the road when they were transferred to other vehicles.

Mr Morgan said: "That added to the trauma being experienced by the parishioners."

Some pictures had a "devastating impact"

Earlier in the day's hearing the government's communications with the public and media were heavily criticised.

Witnesses representing the media complained that Maff had not done enough to supply clear information about the outbreaks.

Farmers also said that they found it difficult to get prompt, consistent and reliable facts out of the government department.

But the media itself was also criticised by the inquiry panel for the pictures it showed during the crisis.

The panel argued that the images of burning pyres and piles of animal corpses had a "devastating impact" on the county.

Live webcast

Devon was one of the counties worst affected by the disease, with 173 cases confirmed and 390,000 animals slaughtered.

Devon County Council launched its investigation into the crisis in August - it received some 400 submissions from across the community.

A report on the hearings will be sent to one of the government's inquiries, the Policy Commission on the Future of Farming, by the end of the month.

The hearings, which are being webcast live on the internet, continue until Friday.