BRITAIN: Anger at farm costs proposal.

FARMING leaders today hit out at plans by the Government to make livestock producers share the costs of animal disease outbreaks such as foot and mouth.

A statement from dozens of national and regional livestock industry groups demanded costs must be "significantly reduced" if the Government pushes ahead with plans to offload some of its spending on animal health on to farmers.

The coalition criticised the Government for announcing it intended to launch a consultation on cost sharing for disease at a time when the industry has been hit by foot and mouth, bluetongue, bird flu and high feed prices.

"Beef, sheep and pig producers have been saddled with enormous additional costs, at least pounds 100 million according to the Government's figures, as a result of foot and mouth disease caused by a leak from a lab that is ultimately the Government's responsibility.

"This comes at a time when the whole of the livestock sector is in severe economic crisis because prices have not adjusted to steep increases in feed, energy and regulatory costs.

"To suggest now that the industry should be picking up additional costs from Government is divorced from reality," the coalition said.

The statement from the sector representatives, including the National Farmers' Union, National Pig Association, British Poultry Council, National Beef Association and the National Sheep Association, comes after Environment Secretary Hilary Benn warned the current funding arrangements were "unsustainable".