Anger after Westminster 'washes hands' of farms crisis

Published on Wednesday 17 October 2007 01:00

FARMING leaders last night accused Hilary Benn, the UK environment secretary, of "washing his hands" of a Scottish crisis as their pleas for compensation were rebuffed.

Farmers unions and MPs were furious after Mr Benn refused to commit to a welfare package for Scots farmers in the wake of the foot-and-mouth outbreak.

The National Farmers Union Scotland, backed by MPs including Angus MacNeil of the SNP, and Conservative David Mundell, had asked for a package of 59 million.

Farmers are facing financial losses because of movement restrictions imposed after the recent outbreak in England. But Mr Benn said it was for the Scottish Government to cover the costs of the ban, lifted last night.

Alistair Carmichael, the Orkney and Shetland Liberal Democrat MP who organised the meeting, said: "There is no difference in principle between the situation faced by farmers today and that for which they were compensated in 2001."