CALLS for Government attention to be concentrated on sustaining Devon's recovery following foot and mouth disease are being made by West Devon Borough Council, which has reiterated its own support in helping the farming and rural communities.

Members at a meeting of the full council this week decided on a motion to put pressure on the Government and let the public know that every effort was being made at district level to get the area back on its feet.

But the points put forward by Conservative member Cllr Dick Eberlie, which used the words 'incompetent' and 'pathetic' to describe the Government's response to foot and mouth, were toned down because they were considered 'too political'.

Cllr Eberlie said a great deal was being done by the council to support those affected by foot and mouth and it was important to stress that at this particular time.

'We are working in a dozen different directions from promoting local abattoirs to helping farmers with advice and counselling through the Business Information Point and offering rate relief for small businesses,' he said.

'We are doing the best we can and using all the practical help that is available to us, but also we need to demonstrate to the Government the continuing concerns in the community.'

Cllr Nick Waterhouse said there should not be any farmer in West Devon who was not aware of the support being given by the borough council — but it might not do any harm to reiterate it.

'The language and comment of Cllr Eberlie's resolution is inappropriate for a local authority speaking to a government,' he said.

'Accusing the Government of being incompetent and pathetic is a political point-scoring exercise. It is not going to help the farmers and it will harm our reputation with the Government.'

The motion decided on reads: 'That this council notes with relief that Devon has at last been declared free of foot and mouth disease and calls for Government attention now to be concentrated on sustaining the county's recovery, and declares that its own efforts will be directed to assisting the farming and rural communities to return to normal business as rapidly as possible.

'This council strongly calls on the Government to hold a statutory inquiry as a priority into the causes, course and handling of the outbreak, designed to promote understanding and an improved response to any future recurrence and urges the Government in the meantime to work

urgently on rebuilding the state veterinary service.'

Cllr Eberlie's other points, which included testing of meat products coming into the county, a shortfall in cash from the Government to rebuild the economy and support measures to help farmers and businesses through the winter, will be referred to the Rural Action Group for representation to the Government.

Cllr Ted Sherrell said he believed the wording of the resolution should be strong, because the whole handling of the foot and mouth crisis had been a 'total calamity'.

'There has been a lack of understanding of the crisis and this lack of understanding of problems in the rural economy always exists when you are governed from London,' he said.

'There is nowhere more rural in England than West Devon and we need to spell it out that this area needs help.'