The Government's handling of the foot-and-mouth crisis traumatised farmers and broke animal welfare laws, a new report into the outbreak said last night.
A draft document drawn up by a special European Parliament committee of inquiry blames officialdom for adding to farmers' woes with red tape and bureaucratic delays in dealing with the disposal of slaughtered animals. It also condemns Government information and says the slimming down of the state veterinary service over 20 years "weakened the capacity for responding to the crisis".
The report is the first result of the year-long inquiry, in which a cross-party panel of MEPs has been taking evidence to assess the response to the disease and how to handle any future outbreaks.
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