Surrey County Council will not take legal action against the Government over last year's Foot and Mouth outbreak.
Solicitors representing Surrey council, in which the Pirbright and Merial laboratories are located, said that a case would not succeed due to a lack of conclusive evidence concerning the source of the outbreak.
Three Government-commissioned reports failed to pinpoint the source of the outbreak.
Peter Denard, Trading standards manager, said: 'Because the two laboratories share the same facilities on the site, it hasn't been possible to pinpoint who was responsible for the outbreak [of Foot and Mouth].
'The Government needs to make sure in these circumstances one laboratory is held accountable, and that is what we're calling for now.'
The National Farmers' Union (NFU) has issued a statement saying:'The decision ofthe council not to prosecute either of the laboratories is understandable given the need to establish beyond doubt that an operator has committed an offence.
'The NFU is considering the potential civil liability of the two laboratories for the enormous damage sustained by farmers as a result of the virus escape.'
Surrey County Council will not, however, take legal action against the Government over last year's Foot and Mouth outbreak, it was confirmed today.
To comment on this article, or on Foot and Mouth in general, use the comment box below, or email us at clonews@ipcmedia.com. Read more about the countryside.
-
Uniquely unique? The Yorkshire grain silos transformed into a home that's a symphony in glass, steel and curvesAmid the beautiful countryside of North Yorkshire, on the edge of the Castle Howard Estate, The Silos is a property for which the word 'house' simply doesn't cut it. And that's not the only way in which it's made us throw out the dictionary.
-
Polluting water executives now face up to two years in prison, but will the new laws make much of a difference?The Government has announced that water company executives caught covering up illegal sewage spills could now be imprisoned for two years, under new laws — but many still have their doubts.
