DEFRA secretary of state, Hilary Benn today announced that livestock farmers in England are to pay £40m a year towards the cost of dealing with animal diseases.

Although this cost-sharing initiative was expected, it has been met with anger by the agricultural industry. This reaction is quite understandable given the source of the recent foot and mouth outbreak, a government research site, not to mention the fact that farmers are yet again in the midst of another disease threat with bluetongue taking a strong hold across England.

It is proposed that the £40m will be raised either through a levy or in the form of insurance against major disease outbreaks. Officials have said that details have yet to be finalized.

Fair enough, the proposals were widely expected but the livestock sector is currently in no position to share costs, particularly given the completely inadequate foot and mouth support package the government announced for livestock farmers in England, said NFU spokesperson, Anthony Gibson.

"The NFU will only be prepared to be involved in a cost-sharing initiative if the industry has a genuine share in decision making and if it had a say in how the money is raised. "

Mr Gibson added that the National Farmers Union would also only work with the government on such a proposal if the government took decisive action to deal with all aspects of the bovine tuberculosis disaster.

Shadow agriculture minister, Jim Paice thought it 'incredible' that the government had proposed extra costs at a time when the livestock industry was 'on its knees' , particularly given that the crisis was a direct result of the government's failure to ensure bio-security on its own premises.

"The £40m annual bill confirmed by Hilary Benn dwarfs the sum provided to farmers in compensation for foot and mouth and couldn't be timed with greater insensitivity. "

"The industry already carries most of the cost of disease anyway as we are seeing with foot and mouth and bluetongue and should be consulted on health and welfare as a matter of course. "

"It is difficult to see what farmers are gaining form these costly new arrangements. "

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