ASH Moor Pit ? the huge burial ground once destined to hold millions of animal carcasses ? is to be filled in. But uncertainty still surrounds its future use.

The giant pit at Petrockstowe ? a former clay workings ? was bought by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for use as a burial site for the huge number of animals expected to be slaughtered in the foot and mouth epidemic.

Now MAFF?s successor, Defra, has announced that it plans to re-instate the land.

A spokesman said after the land had been restored to something approaching its original condition, the entire land holding would be placed on the market.

Last summer, Devon County Council refused an offer by Defra to take on the site with a package involving enhanced restoration as a nature conservation area, having decided it was unable to assume responsibility for the restoration of the site.

A Defra spokesman said: ?Defra has told the county council of its decision to restore the site and to place the entire landholding on the market and that it will be proceeding to submit details of the proposed restoration to the county council.

?Subject to agreement of these plans, the department aims substantially to restore the site during 2003.?

Farmer Joe Skinner from Meeth, one of the campaigners who fought against turning the site into a burial ground, said: ?We are happy that it is being finally re-instated but we?d be happier if it was being turned into a nature reserve or something of that sort.?

He said he would like to see it returned to the specification required by conservation groups where it ?would be of value to the community and the environment?.

He said because of the sort of land it was, Ash Moor would, if put on the market, be likely to be bought for forestry.

?It is clay and wet. Forestry would be a likely solution. Not ideal from the environmental point of view but from a commercial point of view that would be the answer.?

West Devon and Torridge MP John Burnett said he hoped before Defra put the land on the market, the department would consider giving it to a charity such as Devon Wildlife Trust.

Devon Wildlife Trust chief executive Paul Gompertz said the current impasse regarding the site appeared based on Defra wanting Devon County Council to buy it and give it to the trust ? and the council believing that Defra should donate it.

?Neither party wants to bear the financial burden. It does seem odd that millions of pounds were spent on the site and now Defra is making an issue of the sale value of the land,? said Mr Gompertz.

He said the notion that the trust could buy the site and restore it was unrealistic and simply giving it to the trust was ?passing on a liability?.

?We would like the site but not unconditionally. If it came with the money to make something of it that would be terrific ? but we cannot afford it. Money is the issue, we have no problem with the site.?

Mr Gompertz said the trust, if it did acquire Ash Moor, could increase its biodiversity.

The Marsh Fritillary butterfly, one of the 12 most threatened animal species in Europe, could be encouraged to thrive on the culm grass site, barn owls could be attracted and much more.

?It could be made better than it was before all this happened,? said Mr Gompertz.

?As a conservation area it could be one of the positive legacies from the very negative legacy of foot and mouth.?