EURO MPs leading the inquiry into last year's foot-and-mouth epidemic will visit the region next week to speak to the farming community about the Government's handling of the crisis.

More than 30 members of the European Parliament will start a three-day visit of the North-East and Scottish Borders on Wednesday when they meet members of the farming community at Slaley Hall, in Northumberland.

On Friday, the committee will visit a farm in the region that was infected with foot-and-mouth, and members will speak with the farmers concerned about how they feel the outbreak was handled by the Government.

Afterwards, the group, with interpreters and support staff, will meet local farmers, NFU representatives, tourism operators and people involved in local businesses, at Hexham Auction Mart.

The visit has largely been down to pressure by North-East MEP and committee member Martin Callanan, who persuaded members to spend time in the region talking to those affected by the epidemic.

The MEPs are members of the European Parliament's temporary committee on foot-and-mouth disease, and will sit for 12 months.

One of its main lines of inquiry will be whether current EU policy banning vaccination to cope with outbreaks of disease in animals, should be continued or reversed.

The committee heard evidence from former Agriculture Minister Nick Brown during a meeting last month, and other British MPs are expected to be questioned in the coming months.