THE Government has now revealed how many farms where animals were slaughtered because of foot-and-mouth and where subsequently tests for the virus proved negative.

Responding to a written Parliamentary Question from Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Collins, DEFRA minister Elliot Morley revealed that tests from 52 Cumbrian farms - culled-out as contiguous premises - proved negative.

On those farms 19,738 sheep and 3,405 cattle were killed.

The Thackerays, of High Scales farm near Shap, are just one of the families who now know their slaughtered stock was not infected a

nd their 220 sheep and lambs, mostly from the dwindling Kendal Rough Fell breed, four cows, one bull and eight bullocks, are included in the figures released by Mr Morley.

Ann Thackeray, who described her family's ordeal in the Gazette recently, said: "The more you see of it the more you think they are just killing for killing's sake.

It is just the sheer waste that gets to everybody and I have heard so many stories like mine."

The true number of contiguous premises slaughtered-out and animals killed when there was no infection present is almost certainly far higher than Mr Morley's figures show, but blood tests were not done on all contiguous premises.

In response to another written question from Tim Collins, Mr Morley revealed that, of nearly 800 cases in Cumbria listed as confirmed infected premises, 76 had subsequently proved to be free from the virus.

Mr Collins, who has been an advocate of using vaccines in the fight against the virus, said: "Slowly but surely the cost in Cumbria livestock from the Government's decision to rule out vaccination policy is beginning to come out.

"Because of the Government's refusal to shift from its scorched earth policy, thousands of healthy animals have been needlessly slaughtered.

"Recent reports in the national press suggest that this is only the tip of the iceberg and absolutely reinforce the need for the Government to lay its cards on

the table and call a full an independent public inquiry into the handling of the whole foot-and-mouth crisis."