THE political row over million-pound-plus compensation payments to 37 farmers whose stock were culled in the campaign against foot and mouth intensified over the weekend - and observers believe it can only get worse.

Parliament is in recess but many Labour MPs are said to be preparing strong demands that the compensation rules be changed - or scrapped altogether - when the autumn session resumes.

Tory members, however, are blaming the huge payments on the failure of the then MAFF to take swifter action when the disease was first spotted back in early spring, allowing it to get out of hand and spread across huge swathes of the country.

Whatever happens, farmers' leaders are privately acknowledging that this has become the biggest crisis to face the industry for more than seventy years - and that the present subsidy system will face unprecedented changes.

• DEFRA today was reporting only two new confirmed cases over the weekend, both in Cumbria.