news story

7th August 2007

West MP Calls for Recall of Parliament if Foot & Mouth Crisis Deepens

Northavon MP Steve Webb has called for the recall of MPs to Westminster if the Foot and Mouth outbreak in Surrey spreads further afield. Although MPs left Westminster for the summer recess just a couple of weeks ago, the Lib Dem MP said that this is such an important issue that MPs should have the chance to question ministers over their handling of the outbreak if the virus spreads.

Steve Webb said:

"I well remember just how traumatic the last outbreak of Foot and Mouth was for farmers across my constituency. There were real concerns at the time about how the outbreak was handled, and one of the biggest concerns was the lack of information for farmers.

"Although the Government seems to have moved quickly on this occasion there are already questions being asked about whether footpaths close to the infected area have been closed down quickly enough.

"We are all hoping that this turns out to be a localised incident, but if not I would expect Parliament to be recalled as a matter of urgency so that we can be briefed by ministers and can communicate to them the concerns of local people".

Many farmers in South Gloucestershire were seriously affected by the last outbreak in 2001 and there is real fear in the countryside of a repeat occurrence. The last outbreak affected not only the farming community but also rural businesses dependent on the tourist trade.