THE Government this week published draft legislation for a new independent body to deal with animal health in England.

Hilary Benn, Defra Secretary of State, said separate measures for making livestock farmers split the cost of fighting and preventing animal disease outbreaks would follow.

Defra spends £44m a year on preventing and preparing for animal disease outbreaks.

It wants farmers to pick up half that figure by a new tax on livestock. The £22m would be raised by a levy on different animals – from £4.80 for a dairy cow to 4p for a chicken.

The move follows a series of costly animal disease outbreaks including mad cow disease, foot-and-mouth, and bird flu.

In a statement to the House of Commons, Mr Benn said the new body will have an independent chairman and board.

It will be responsible for animal health policy and its application – both of which are currently Defra’s responsibility.

Ministers have previously said the earliest the new body could come into operation would be 2012.

But Tim Farron, Lib Dem shadow Defra secretary, said their could be no justification for shifting the cost to farmers.

He said: “It’s grossly unfair for ministers to make livestock farmers pay, given the 2007 foot-and-mouth outbreak came from Government-licensed premises. The Government’s decision to pass the buck is a disgrace.”

Greg Bliss, national chairman of the Tenant Farmers’ Association, attacked Mr Benn for making the announcement before the working group had finished examining the best way such a body should function.

He said: “Defra is displaying a certain unholy haste to ‘improve the delivery of animal health’ in comparison to its foot dragging on the biggest animal health issue facing the agricultural industry – bovine TB.”

He claimed the announcement was more about the Government’s desire to pass Exchequer costs on to the industry.

Mr Bliss said: “I simply cannot see how an independent body will improve the delivery of animal health policy.

“It would not have stopped the 2001 outbreak of foot-andmouth which was caused by infected imports, or the 2007 outbreak which was caused by a leak from a Government laboratory and it will do little to improve the bovine TB situation which requires an urgent cull of infected wildlife which the Government sees as a welfare issue – an area of policy which it is not planning to pass to any future independent body.”