An
inquiry into the causes and consequences of Britain's foot-and-mouth
outbreak has been launched by the European Parliament.
A day after Britain was finally declared free of the disease, Euro
MPs in Strasbourg voted to set up a "temporary committee" to look
at how the disease was handled and how to prevent it happening again.
The inquiry will look into the financial impact of the disease, what
caused the outbreak and the implications of vaccination.
The committee will be a cross-party multinational group of 30 MEPs
studying the way the outbreak spread to several EU countries.
It has a mandate to investigate the outbreak for 12 months before
producing a report and recommendations - but with no legal powers.
Labour MEP Philip Whitehead, who will be one of the committee's members
despite opposing its creation, said: "I am afraid the British Conservatives,
who very much wanted this to happen, will use the inquiry to keep
the Government on the rack over foot-and-mouth for as long as possible."
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The
EU inquiry will last 12 moinths
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Conservative MEP
and Tory Agriculture spokesman in the European Parliament Neil Parish
said it was "shameful" that some British MEPs had tried to prevent
the committee being set up.
He went on: "It is essential for the future of British and European
agriculture that we do all we can to ensure that a disease outbreak
on this scale cannot occur again."
Although the committee has no legal powers, its findings can have
an impact. A similar European Parliament committee five years ago
into the handling of the mad cow disease crisis directly led to the
establishment of a European Food Safety Authority.
The then British Agriculture Minister Douglas Hogg refused to attend
the BSE inquiry, infuriating MEPs.
But Mr Whitehead said he was confident of British Government co-operation
with the new inquiry into foot-and-mouth disease - not least because
there was nothing to hide in the way the crisis had been handled.
In Britain opposition parties have stepped up calls for a public inquiry
into the foot-and-mouth epidemic, as the UK is officially declared
free of the disease.
Both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives say a full public
inquiry is the only way ministers and officials can be properly held
to account for their handling of the 11-month crisis.
But Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, Margaret Beckett,
said that the three separate inquiries currently under way were sufficient
and were independent of government.
"The Conservative Party is just desperate to get across the impression
that the entire thing was in some way the fault of ministers," she
told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
'Long, dark shadow'
Britain was officially declared free of foot-and-mouth at midnight
on Monday.
The National Farmers' Union said the lifting of restrictions would
remove a "long, dark shadow" from the countryside, even though it
will be some months before Britain can trade fully with the rest of
the world.
But shadow environment secretary, Peter Ainsworth, said: "The government's
mishandling of the disaster has cost the economy billions of pounds,
led to the slaughter of millions of healthy animals and brought many
rural businesses to the verge of ruin."
"The foot-and-mouth outbreak will not be properly examined until a
public inquiry is held where those farmers, vets and contractors affected
can give their evidence freely and in public," Mr Bruce said.
Human rights
Meanwhile, peers have warned the Government of their deep concerns
over plans to give ministers tough new powers to slaughter farm animals
suspected of carrying disease.
The Animal Health Bill had an unopposed Second Reading in the House
of Lords on Monday - but it is set for a rougher ride when it reaches
its committee stage.
Conservative Agriculture front bench spokesman Baroness Byford said:
"The Bill is considered by many to take all rights of appeal from
farmers.
"While the Government maintain the Bill does not contravene human
rights, we have been informed differently," she said.
Farming Minister Lord Whitty said the new powers contained in the
bill were needed as some farmers' refusal to allow the slaughter of
their stock worsened the spread of foot-and-mouth.
Many farmers have been critical of the Government's handling the foot-and-mouth
crisis and say far more should have been done to stop the disease
spreading.
There were more than 2,000 cases in Britain in the 2001 outbreak and
nearly six million animals have been destroyed. The cost to farming
- leaving aside any damage to tourism - stands at more than £2bn.
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