A SELF-help group which supported Wensleydale farmers through last year's foot-and-mouth outbreak gave a cautious response to the Lessons Learned report.

Jim McRobert, of Rejuvenate, established when the disease gripped the dale in the spring and summer of 2001, stressed that the report must live up to its name, in that lessons must be learned.

He said it was time to look forward and move on after the devastation of last year but doubted whether the Government would seriously take on board the pointers highlighted by Dr Anderson.

"It is vital that Dr Anderson's findings result in action and are not simply put on the shelf like the 1967 inquiry," said Mr McRobert.

"We don't just want this inquiry to be the Government's way of pacifying everybody and then forgetting about it.

"Without active follow-up, nothing is achieved. You can talk as much as you like but, unless what is talked about is followed by clear action, we are no better than before the outbreak."

It was up to farmers and others dependent on the rural economy to ensure that pressure on ministers was kept up.

* The foot-and-mouth crisis had a traumatic impact on many farmers, rural business people and children.

The official report contains many of their comments and some of the most poignant show it will be a long time before some of those affected recover.

Dr Anderson quotes from a public meeting in the North West: "There are children out there in our schools now we are still giving counselling to, they are still traumatised and will continue to be so."

A GP in Devon commented: "It is a tragedy that an animal illness has been translated into one that had severe impact on the mental health of our patients.