LORD Haskins, the government's rural recovery co-ordinator, was in Teesdale last Friday to hear about the problems caused by foot-and-mouth.

He was introduced to the dale's foot-and-mouth task group, meeting in Teesdale District Council chamber in Barnard Castle, by Mr Derek Foster, MP for Bishop Auckland whose constituency covers Teesdale.

Teesdale was feeling neglected, he told Lord Haskins. "We had a severe problem but rarely featured in descriptions of it," said Mr Foster, who told the group not to be afraid to ask questions. "You can't offend us, we have been around far too long and everyone has kicked us. Lord Haskins has come to hear what you have to say."

In a brief address, Lord Haskins said the fundamental issue was to get the countryside back in business as quickly as possible, especially tourism, in readiness for Easter. Absence made the heart grow fonder and he was sure more people would want to visit the countryside.

"This is the worst outbreak of foot-and-mouth the world has ever seen," said Lord Haskins. "But I believe the government is right not to hold a public inquiry because it would require scapegoats. This inquiry is about learning quickly without knocking heads off."

The most damaging short-term problem for rural recovery was the strong pound, but he was hopeful that, by May or June, it would be at a more sensible level against the euro.

Farmer Mr Alan Scott, who is also a county councillor, felt country people had been blamed for the foot-and-mouth outbreak, but he would put total blame on the government. Imported meat was flooding the country and there were not enough inspectors at ports, with meat coming from countries where foot-and-mouth was endemic.

"We are an island, and it should not have reached here in the first place," he told Lord Haskins. "The USA has a land mass right next to an endemic country, but they manage to keep it out."

Lord Haskins argued that Britain had been importing food in a big way for 160 years and had always been particularly exposed to this. "There were outbreaks every year or two until 1967," he said. There had been some foot-and-mouth in Greece 18 months ago, but it had not spread through Europe, so those controls were working effectively.

"The disease was on that Northumbrian farm for two weeks before the authorities recognised it was there," he added. "Before MAFF realised it was in Cumbria, there had been 26 outbreaks."

The abattoir situation and long-distance stock movement did not help. His son raised cattle in Yorkshire and was told by the supermarkets to send them to Devon. But the government would not seek to ban imports as it was not realistic.

Coun Mary Mitchell felt inspectors would be more effective if put where they were needed. If farmers had to be licensed, meat coming into the country should have to be licensed. "European regulations governing meat are far lower than ours," she added.

Lord Haskins disagreed, saying regulations were only as good as those applying them. There needed to be a balance, and the outbreak had been one regulatory failure from which they had to learn how to regulate and control in the future.