Diseases could cost farmers more

Farmers could be asked to cover more of the financial burden of dealing with animal diseases, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn signalled on Sunday.

He said recent outbreaks of bird flu, bluetongue and foot-and-mouth highlighted the need to give the farming industry more of a say in dealing with such diseases.

"That is the direction in which we want to move," he told ITV1's The Sunday Edition.

"In those circumstances is it unreasonable to ask the farming community to bear more of the cost of taking the decisions to deal with animal diseases."

The cost of animal infections is thought to be costing the public purse more than £120 million this year.