FINDINGS of the first public inquiry into last year's devastating foot and mouth epidemic in Devon were published this week — and strong criticism was aimed at the Government's handling of the crisis.

Crisis and Opportunity, the report from the Devon foot and mouth inquiry organised by the county council, calls for a new national contingency plan to combat any future outbreak, with a leading role played by the military.

Professor Ian Mercer, inquiry chairman and author of the report, claimed a 'culture of secrecy' existed within MAFF during the crisis.

Prof Mercer said: 'Public communication was poor to non-existent, and this led to an atmosphere of suspicion, confusion, changing advice and inconsistencies.

'It was not obvious to us from the evidence received that MAFF was working to any form of coherent contingency plan. We now know from DEFRA that there was a "largely internal" plan, which, it is confessed, was overtaken by the scale and size of the outbreak.'

The report recommended a new national contingency plan, 'owned' by all involved in handling future outbreaks, should be developed quickly.

Such a plan, and an effective 'cascade' of communication should be 'implemented nationally by someone able to command respect and with experience of managing emergency operations'.

Prof Mercer said: 'In Devon, as elsewhere, it became clear that MAFF did not have among its ranks those who could lead operations in the field.

'We find that in the field handling all the operational consequences of combating the disease there would best be a military command, at least at brigadier level, from day one of the outbreak.'

Prof Mercer was also critical of the failure by government to compensate farmers who were placed under form D restrictions. They were unable to sell or move livestock, even though they were not suffering from foot and mouth.

Food and farming minister Lord Whitty's response to Devon Inquiry questions regarding form D farmers was that it was 'not policy to provide compensation for consequential loss arising from the outbreak'.

Prof Mercer said this was not acceptable and described form D farmers as 'forgotten victims in this whole tragedy'.

He said: 'The whole purpose of this exercise is to get government to change policies and, after all, slaughter is itself a consequence which has been compensated for.'

The report highlights serious welfare problems with farmers forced to feed 'locked-up' herds from dwindling food stocks.

'They have received not a penny in compensation,' said Prof Mercer.

'The Government could, if the will was there, devise a method of providing financial assistance to farmers and their families who were on form D restrictions.'

The report offers a compensation methodology based on a daily rate, relating to livestock numbers on individual farms during the restriction period.

The Crisis and Opportunity report contains 51 findings on issues including livestock movements, vaccination, slaughter and disposal, contingency planning and research.

It also includes findings related to the future of agriculture, related industries, employment, support schemes and finance in Devon, post foot and mouth.

It is the result of evidence submitted by some 380 people and organisations, plus a further public hearing of 50 witnesses at County Hall last October.

Copies have been forwarded to DEFRA and the Government's three national inquiries into the foot and mouth crisis.

The report has been published during the same week as the NFU issued its own findings on the crisis. Coincidentally, the Anderson 'Lessons Learned' inquiry, one of the three national Government inquiries into the outbreak, arrived in Devon this week.