GOVERNMENT officials in London have closed a livestock collection point in Thirsk.

On Friday, senior vets at the headquarters of the Department of Envronment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) overruled local Defra vets in Leeds who had said that sheep in a field adjacent to Thirsk Auction Mart did not pose a disease risk if precautions were taken.

Since October, 200 cattle a week have gone through the collection point at Thirsk, in an area where thousands of animals were culled during the foot and mouth outbreak last year.

These collection points help cut the cost of transporting animals to abattoirs by allowing farmers to pool their stock to make up full wagon-loads.

Now individual farmers will either have to pay hauliers to take half-empty wagon-loads of animals to slaughter, or take their livestock to collection points further afield.

The chairman of the mart, local farmer Harry Woohead, said: "This is typical of the stupidity we have seen throughout the crisis. One says one thing and someone else says another."

A Defra spokesman said: "We have to observe the strict biosecurity regulations."

The spokesman added that the auction mart would probably be back in use when new regulations are introduced later this month.

l Foot-and-mouth aftermath: Page 13.