THE foot-and-mouth outbreak is far from contained. In the ten days since the crisis began, the disease has reached all corners of the nation.

In these circumstances, we must question the wisdom of relaxing the ban on the movement of livestock.

If the ban was appropriate when the outbreak was in its infancy, surely it remains appropriate now the outbreak has spread like wildfire to 36 sites across the country?

We are assured by the Ministry of Agriculture that the special licences will only be granted in disease-free areas.

But surely what the past ten days have shown us, is that there are no guaranteed safe areas.

We hope that the Government is not being pressed into returning livestock farming to normal business before it is safe to do so.

We understand, of course, that there may be overriding welfare needs which mean animals have to be moved from one area to another.

But, at all times, the welfare of farm animals and the need to maintain meat supplies must be judged against the inherent risk of spreading foot-and-mouth disease and prolonging the outbreak.

The country is placing a great deal of trust in ministry officials to ensure that restrictions are lifted when it is entirely safe to do so and that the movement of livestock takes place under the most stringent of conditions.