Thirsk farmers are so angry at being blamed for the spread of foot-and-mouth disease that they are taking their case to the House of Lords.

They claim their names were been unfairly blackened by ministers in the House of Commons.

Mr Robin Bosomworth, whose family has farmed the area for more than 200 years, says the government has really let farmers down.

"It goes against the grain for ministers to stand up and say many Thirsk farmers were to blame for the rampant spread of the disease. These ministers are quoting figures given them by other people; totally wrong figures.

"Foot-and-mouth was well under way before it came to Thirsk. In fact it wasn't until it eventually reached us that the government decided to bring in the stringent Defra conditions."

And the way the government was now trying to rush through the new Animal Health Bill was nothing short of outrageous, he said.

"The new Act will mean that, in any future crisis, we will have no say whatsoever as to what happens on our farms. If Defra hasn't been successful with the powers they had this time, what hope for the future?"

What particularly offends Thirsk farmers is that Mrs Margaret Beckett, secretary of state at Defra, alleged they were "the worst in the world".

"Yet we were at the tail-end of the crisis. All her stories and figures were totally untrue," said Mr Bosomworth.

His son, Trevor, chairman of Thirsk branch of the NFU, wrote to ministers asking them to justify their claims.

"We sent a letter in November and have only just had a reply this week, and they are trying to wriggle out of it," he said.

The branch is also trying to stop the new bill being rushed through.

"Yes, the Act needs reviewing, but surely a little time could be taken in getting it right for the future," said Mr Trevor Bosomsorth. "The way it is being handled is showing utter contempt for the farming industry."

Local farmer, Lord Joplin, has taken up the case.

"He spoke in the House this week and asked Margaret Beckett to resign, or apologise to Thirsk farmers whose names she has dragged into the mud," said Mr Trevor Bosomworth. "We believe Thirsk farmers have been singled out for blame, which is very unjust."

The way the new bill was being railroaded through was symptomatic of what happened during the foot-and-mouth crisis.

"The people dealing with this are not looking at what happens on the ground at all. Our only hope for a better deal is through the House of Lords," he said.