Foot-and-mouth sounded the death-knell for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the moment the crisis started spiralling out of control. Maff's evident failings prompted a post-election Whitehall shake-up that promised a whole new approach with the establishment of the new Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs under Margaret Beckett. There were also changes at the helm with former Agriculture Minister Nick Brown shunted into a non-Cabinet post in the Department for Work and Pensions. But the battle-lines drawn out on the ground to rid the country of foot-and-mouth have not changed. And with Ms Beckett announcing that movement restrictions are likely to continue till the winter, farmers are bracing themselves for a long siege. All the policies laid down by Newcastle East MP Mr Brown to bring the disease under control have been taken up by Ms Beckett and the staff on the ground remain the same. A spokeswoman for Defra said that since there was no criticism by the Government of the way Maff had handled the epidemic there was no reason to alter course. The changing nature of the virus meant that decisions had to be made to react to new situations, she said, but on the whole they were continuing as before, confident that the culling policy would bring an end to the disease. However, farmers on the ground still have the same criticisms. NFU press officer Rob Simpson said that farmers in the new North Yorkshire hotspot areas in Thirsk and Whitby were facing some of the same problems as farmers in Northumberland had when the virus was on their doorstep. He said: "Probably the biggest complaint from our members is the lack of communication. Farmers in the area do not know what is going on and they want to be kept informed, especially when they see vets going round to nearby farms. "Everyone is extremely worried and when they don't know exactly what's happening then misinformation and rumours start flying around, causing even more stress, often unnecessarily. "We appreciate the efforts being made to keep the farmers informed as it is such a mammoth task, and we're helping with that process by having a representative in the local disease centres, but we've called on Defra to do more." It isn't just the farmers whose animals have caught the virus who are suffering. Every farmer is feeling the strain because of the restrictions imposed on the industry, which has resulted in many farmers not receiving any income for months on end and poor livestock prices. Agricultural leaders are constantly trying to get Defra to address these and future, foreseeable problems, but they say that progress has been difficult. Haydon Bridge farmer David Smith, who is chairman of the National Sheep Association, said: "As far as foot-and-mouth is concerned there is no difference between Maff and Defra. The new department is still very, very slow and cumbersome. "I've had three meetings in the last two weeks with Defra officials to discuss what will happen to the autumn sheep sales and were not a great deal further forward. "What's worse is that the virus does not seem to be tailing off as the experts predicted. "We're still getting about four or five cases a day and we have done for about a month or so. And the longer it goes on the harder it is for farmers." If movement restrictions are not altered to accommodate seasonal requirements, without jeopardising biosecurity measures, then the situation will go from bad to worse. In six weeks time Bellingham Auction Mart should have held its first store lamb sale, where hill farmers sell their ewe lambs to lowland farmers for breeding. It has been cancelled, like every other livestock sale, because of foot-and- mouth. But farmers warn that if these annual movements from the hills to the valleys cannot take place then not only will the hill farmers lose their main source of income but sheep will be left stranded on farms and animal welfare problems will mount up. Mr Smith said: "I've got 1,500 lambs that need to be moved from my farm and if I can't get them away by the beginning of November then I'll be in trouble. And I'm not alone. We've got to get a solution to this problem from Defra before Parliament breaks up for the summer otherwise we'll have a welfare catastrophe on our hands." In its list of key tasks, Defra has vowed to eradicate foot-and-mouth disease as quickly as possible, lead the recovery of affected regions and find ways of preventing future animal disease outbreaks. Farmers probably won't start to notice a difference between Maff and Defra until this task has been completed. But long-term change to the farming industry is on the cards. It is a process that started before the millennium, with the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, and the creation of Defra is yet another step in a Europe-wide scheme to re-direct the farming industry in the face of global competition. Defra has five aims. These are to create a better environment, thriving rural economies and communities, diversity and abundance of wildlife resources, a countryside for all to enjoy and sustainable and diverse farming and food industries that work together to meet the needs of consumers. According to the NFU, the role of farmers will shift, with more recognition being paid to the environment and animal welfare, rather than just concentrating on food production. "This is what the European Union wants and the reform of Maff into Defra reflects this change," said Mr Simpson. "However one of the biggest problems with the present environmental schemes is that it pays farmers to introduce environmentally beneficial schemes but does not reward those who have been carrying out this work for years without any financial reward. "In order to improve the environment it is right that some sort of incentive should be offered. But recognition should also be given for the farmers who have carried out this work for generations. They too must be rewarded and we're pushing for this." However Alnwick farmer Stoker Frater, who is deputy chairman of Northumberland NFU, said Defra and the British public in general must ask themselves if they want to continue down this road of producing less food in the UK and importing more from abroad. | 
