WE stated yesterday that there was a clear conflict between the ban on the transportation of livestock and the continuation of horseracing in this country.

Thankfully, a halt has been called to the sport for seven days - and it is not before time.

Yesterday's announcement by the British Horseracing Board and The Jockey Club was the only responsible course of action to take.

But there will still be fears that it may be a case of "after the horse has bolted".

The risk of horses spreading foot-and-mouth disease may be small - but the country has been told to minimise all risk. That was at odds with the dithering over whether to call a halt to a sport which is extremely big business.

Many racehorse trainers are also farmers, training centres are often situated within farming communities, and it had to stop.

As Northern bookmaker Johnny Ridley said at Catterick yesterday, suspending the sport "would not be the end of the world for racing but there will be people who could be losing their life's work."

The racing industry is now increasingly anxious about losing the jewels in its crown - the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National.

With so much money at stake in two of the world's biggest betting events, that anxiety is understandable.

But no matter how strong the temptation, no chances must be taken, and racing must remain suspended until the risk is gone.

The stakes are far too high to do otherwise.

An election Formula

LAST year, contradictory statements suggested that the Government was unsure whether it dared admit that there was a North-South divide.

But with official figures underlining the wealth gap yet again yesterday, there can be no doubt that the North-East is a special case for Government help.

With a General Election looming, and 1,000 steel jobs hanging in the balance, the question is: What do the political parties clamouring for our votes intend to do about it?

A commitment to review the 20-year-old Barnett Formula, which dictates the level of government funding for the regions, would be a good starting point.

The time for fudging is over