FORMER West Devon MP Emma Nicholson has called for traditional livestock markets to be replaced — by the internet.

Baroness Nicholson, now an MEP and a Liberal Democrat peer, says the national crisis over foot and mouth disease means it's time to rethink how animals are sold in Britain.

She said: 'I believe that the trading of livestock must be conducted by computer.'

She pointed out that a pilot scheme was launched in West Devon more than ten years ago, but failed because of a lack of interest.

'This time we must follow through the idea.' she said.

Speaking from the European Parliament in Brussels she said the days of the livestock market must be over, and called on Westminster to provide all farmers and auctioneers with laptops, software and training.

She pointed out that buying and selling over the internet would mean animals could not affect one another, and added: 'Internet trading will mean less stress for animals from constant transportation, and the quality of the meat will therefore be better.'

Instead of farmers taking the livestock to market, auctioneers would visit the animals to verify details before displaying details on a web-market.

Baroness Nicholson said it would save money as well.

'Consider how many man-hours are lost by farmers and their stockmen on market days and think of the travelling expenses involved in transporting all these beasts from one auction to another. All that will be in the past.'

But two of the pioneers of the pilot scheme in the early 1990s were doubtful that it would work.

Auctioneer Frank Yeo said: 'I don't give it much hope at the present time.

'In theory it is a very good idea, but I'm not sure it would work in practice.

'You have to have willing buyers and willing sellers, and many farmers are very conservative in outlook.

'It works in parts of Australia where it is compulsory, and the system is very efficient. But I think that in Britain we have too many small lots and too many large abattoirs.'

And farmer John Dawe, chairman of the Dartmoor Livestock Forum, and who also backed the pilot scheme, said: 'There's a psychological problem to overcome. If you put a lot of work into rearing good animals there's a natural inclination to want to show them off.

'Using computers makes sense — it's what they do in America and in France — but it does turn your animals into just a commodity.

'But I think it may be the way forward, if we can persuade farmers it's the best thing to do.'

Baroness Nicholson said the 1990s scheme failed because the Conservative government was not interested.

'This time we must follow through the idea,' she said.

'If we do not, I dread to think of the consequences.'