Holding the government to account over Foot and Mouth

Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury, reports on the Government's statement on the Foot and Mouth outbreak.

On Tuesday in the Chamber of the House of Commons I listened to the statement by the Secretary of State for DEFRA Hilary Benn MP on the recent Foot and Mouth outbreak.

I and many of my fellow MPs are determined to scrutinise the Government on this key issue, as so many of our farming constituents have endured yet more financial loss and frustration as a result of this outbreak.

Here in Shropshire this latest blow has come on top of a rampant increase in the cases of bovine tuberculosis across the constituency, with the Minister acknowledging that bTb cases have risen by more than 20% in Shropshire over the last 12 months and by nearly 400% in the previous six years, from 39 cases in 2000 to 149 cases in 2006.

When we first heard of the news of the outbreak in Surrey earlier this summer, many farmers in Shropshire telephoned me with their fears and worries, highlighting to me the extent of their individual losses caused by the restrictions imposed on the movement and selling of cattle and meat.  Although I believe DEFRA were correct in imposing a ban on the movement of cattle, many individuals have lost thousands of pounds and, in certain cases, tens of thousands of pounds.

In our own county I am sure the figure must come to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of pounds of lost revenue to our already suffering rural communities.  In certain cases this latest outbreak has been the straw that has broken the camel’s back and farmers have decided to leave the industry - which is of course the fault of the Government, not only because of their mishandling of the current crisis, but because of 10 years of neglect of British agriculture.