A PRIORITY for the new government today is to apply its mind once more to the foot-and-mouth crisis.

It is, despite what some might have thought observing the election campaign, still a crisis affecting thousands of farmers. The human cost of the disease was starkly revealed by the death of a relatively young farmer near Kirkby Malzeard who suffered a heart attack while out collecting his sheep for culling. He leaves a wife and three young children.

In view of the number of new cases this week, it is even arguable that the outbreak is truly under control.

Since the last Labour government announced that the peak of the outbreak had passed just before the election campaign began, there has been what amounts to an official silence about foot-and-mouth. This has undoubtedly contributed to the rumours which have swept the northern hills in the past fortnight about MAFF carrying out a mass cull in areas which have not been directly affected so far.

These rumours have been cruel in that they have increased the fear and uncertainty. Almost always such rumours are the result of an information vacuum.

Now the election is over, attention needs to be directed back to the battle to combat the disease. The politicians need to convince the farming community that their plight is more important than the quest for power.