A FARMERS' representative has predicted short-term grief for Teesdale, following the lifting of foot and mouth infected area status from most of County Durham.

Mr Phil Barber, Barnard Castle NFU branch secretary, spoke out after an announcement by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that it was good news for farmers to the east of the River Tees in Middleton in Teesdale, but excluded that part of the county that was in the Allendale "blue box".

Defra says that farmers in most of County Durham can now do business with Northumberland farmers who are not in the blue box area, with cattle, pigs and rams, subject to blood testing, able to move between the counties, under licence from local authorities.

The news followed the results of tests involving samples taken from a cow slaughtered on Thursday of last week as a precautionary measure at a farm near Rookhope in Weardale. The tests proved negative.

Mr Charlie Moir, divisional veterinary manager at the Newcastle disease emergency control centre, said, "This is more good news for farmers in County Durham, who have not been able to move their animals. It is another step in the right direction."

But Mr Barber remained unconvinced that it would solve the more immediate problems encountered by dale farmers.

"Although this is good news to a large extent, I can see it causing considerable difficulties in Teesdale in particular," he said. "The infected area boundary has been redrawn and runs directly through the dale and you can't send animals backwards and forwards across the boundary between infected and non-infected areas.

"Teesdale seems to be having all the problems and to be stuck with restrictions without having had much infection, because of our proximity to Cumbria, although I am not trying to lay blame there."

Defra has also lifted infected area restrictions from 1,204 farms in Cumbria, with farms around Burton in Kendal, Kirkby Lonsdale and Dentdale, along with parts of North Yorkshire and Lancashire now outside the infected area.

The reduction of the infected area boundary became possible as Defra lifted protection zone restrictions from 150 farms in the Penrith Spur.

By redrawing the boundary, 1,204 farms will now be able to move livestock to slaughter at an abattoir also outside the infected area without the need for a pre-movement veterinary check, or for vehicles taking animals to slaughter to be cleansed, disinfected and sealed at an approved C&D centre. Farmers will also be able to move wool off their farms