CAMPAIGNERS pressing for a full public inquiry into last year's foot-and-mouth epidemic have been urged to accept defeat.

The call to move on from the catastrophic events of last year came from farmers in the region who are trying to lead a recovery in the industry.

The High Court ruled on Friday that Whitehall was within its rights to resist a detailed investigation into what went wrong.

Lord Justice Simon Brown and Mr Justice Scott Baker ruled the Government's decision was a political one and could not be challenged in law.

But Lord Justice Brown said: "I think it important, however, that in dismissing these applications, the court does not give the impression that it regards the decision to hold the Lessons Learned inquiry in closed session as necessarily the right decision."

Phillip Holden, who chairs a consortium of local farmers, said: "People I have spoken to are focused on looking forward. As long as we know Defra has a better handle on the disease and is more aware of how dangerous it can be, that is all we need."