The mishandling of Foot and Mouth

The Guardian: "An EU report into the way the foot and mouth crisis was handled today condemned the government for traumatising farmers and breaking animal welfare laws.  A draft document drawn up by a European parliament temporary committee of inquiry, blamed excessive bureaucracy for adding to farmers' woes and delaying the disposal of slaughtered animals... Caroline Lucas, the inquiry's vice president and a 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." (1 October 2002)

Comments

[malcolm dunn]

What one has to remember about this fiasco is how easily Labour were able to get away with it politically.I've never been really sure if this was down to Blair and Cambells skill in being able to spin and lie their way round a problem or the ineffectiveness of the Conservative party at the time.Probably a bit of both.Whatever one thinks of David Camerons leadership Labour would not be able to get away with it now!

[Curly]

"I liked it so much, I bought the company".....er well I was impressed enough to make one of my own.

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