Were officials to blame for F&M?

Vale of York MP Anne McIntosh told a Commons debate that the failure of officials to observe biosecurity rules was the "most likely" cause of outbreaks at farms in the Thirsk area, including one run by Robin Bosomworth and his family.

Mr Bosomworth's son, Trevor, said it was believed officials were to blame for the outbreak at Moorhouse Farm, near Thirsk.

He said: "The majority of outbreaks in Thirsk were on roadside farms on roads which the officials were using. They were unloading equipment from lorries in our farm gateway, even though the outbreak they were going to deal with was three miles away. We were going absolutely spare at the time."

Miss McIntosh has made several "serious representations" to the Secretary of State for Agriculture, Margaret Beckett, stating that "departmental officials, Army officials and, indeed, vets" were most likely to carry the blame.

She asked why the Government's Animal Health Bill - which gives vets new powers to enter farms and slaughter animals at risk of contracting foot and mouth disease - was silent of the failure of Government officials to observe the department's own biosecurity.

Mrs Beckett said the MP was "straying into what happened during the handling of the outbreak and the various allegations that have been made".

She said Miss McIntosh should wait for the findings of the three inquiries which are taking place into the FMD crisis.

Mr Bosomworth added that according to Hansard, the Commons official record, Mrs Beckett had got her facts wrong. He said she had referred to 55 farmers opposing contiguous culls at their farms in Thirsk, though he was only aware of five who did so. He believes she may have been quoting figures for Devon.

"It just shows how incompetent the whole lot of these people are," said his father Robin.

Miss McIntosh spoke out during the second reading of the Animal Health Bill.

Updated: 08:27 Thursday, November 22, 2001