LIVESTOCK farmers have thrown their weight behind northern auction marts as they struggle to recover after foot-and-mouth disease.

The NFU Northumberland and Durham livestock committee unanimously backed a resolution to urge the government to allow marts to operate freely in the future and members also agreed to press ministers to tighten up controls on food imports.

The proposals followed remarks by Mr Gordon Meek, the committee's headquarters delegate, that livestock movements were unlikely to return to the freedom they had before the virus struck in February.

"The intentions are that stock is not going to move the way it used to out of fat markets," he told a meeting at Newcastle on Thursday of last week.

General movements through marts were unlikely to begin before the new year and, for cattle, the likely date was spring or early summer, he added.

Mr Meek knew of no decisions to allow mass sheep movements across county borders, but he hoped announcements would come from the government fairly soon.

Mr David Maughan, committee chairman, said the situation was invidious and the foot-and-mouth crisis had highlighted the importance of auction marts in the agricultural price-setting mechanism.

The meeting confirmed the NFU's opposition to the government's proposed 21-day standstill, but some members warned against rejecting out of hand everything ministers suggested.

Mr Richard Betton said Ireland's system of licensing dealers provided a possible alternative which could deflect the UK government from the 21-day rule.

Members were particularly keen that food import regulations were tightened to keep foot-and-mouth out of the UK.

There was special concern that products from countries where the disease was endemic - including many in South America - were entering the country.

l Strong opposition to government proposals for individual sheep identification was confirmed by all farmers at the meeting, who fully backed a memo from Mr Kevin Pearce, NFU chief sheep adviser, branding the proposals impractical.

Mr Pearce and other agriculture industry organisations met Defra last month, when the proposals were rejected by the industry and the meeting reached an impasse.Further discussions are due to take place.

The committee supported a resolution to oppose individual identification of sheep but to accept batch identification