Clause 1 - Foot-and-Mouth Disease
Animal Health Bill
10:45 am
Mrs Ann Winterton (Congleton, Conservative)
I shall take no lessons from the hon. Lady. She was one of those who tabled a perfectly good amendment and then voted against it. That does not show much principle.
At no time during this debate have I said that there should be no culling. Most farmers accept absolutely—more than that, they know—that if the disease is present, there must be a cull and it must take place as quickly as possible. However, they object to some of the things that happened—we have described them many times—because they were unjust. The Government are taking further powers and farmers are worried because of their experiences.
I want to quote from a letter from a Cumbrian farmer's wife who said:
``Our community believes that the Government hates us and is determined to destroy us. They are putting forward a rural vision which is as unrealistic as Pol Pot's urban one. We are, to put it bluntly, frightened''—
[Hon. Members: ``Disgraceful.''] I am quoting. The letter states:
``We are, to put it bluntly, frightened of our own Government. We do not have a voice and there is no control over their power.''
In fact, with the new provisions, they will have no control over the power because animals will be slaughtered and there will be no right of appeal. That goes to the very heart of the Bill in clause 1.
We do not want reassurance after the event. We want it in the Bill, which is where it should be—[Interruption.]