AS THE countryside waits anxiously to see if the foot and mouth outbreak peaks this weekend - as forecast by Agriculture Secretary Nick Brown on Monday - more bickering has broken out between politicians and farmers.

After being under severe attack for weeks, MAFF officials are claiming that farmers are responsible for some of the more recent outbreaks - and an army officer involved in the mass slaughter of livestock in Cumbria has gone as far as to claim that some farmers are deliberately exposing their animals to infection in order to claim compensation.

But David Hill, NFU leader in Devon, went on radio to say that he did not blame farmers moving animals short distances in areas not directly affected.

"There are animals dying in fields in conditions which, in normal times, would have led to prosecutions by the RSPCA," he said.

Whilst this is going on, academics who study the agricultural industry are forecasting that some 25% of farmers are likely to leave the business in the next few years - which leaves a huge question mark over who will steward the countryside as the 21st Century progresses.

Meanwhile, North York Moors National Park officials are taking emergency measures after a new outbreak in the Esk valley on the edge of the park. Officials are laying new disinfectant mats, helping build temporary cattle grids, and setting up advice groups in local communities.

Other developments include:

• The Samaritans in North Yorkshire are working with a voluntary body, Border Collie Rescue, to find temporary homes for working collies from affected areas. The breed is renowned for its love of work and tends to pine if kept confined - causing owners even more distress.

• A farmer in Co. Durham suspected of introducing the disease to his locality has received death threats.

• And as some milkmen add 2p a pint for doorstep deliveries, the NFU is receiving hundreds of calls from the public demanding to know if dairy farmers are getting a cut from the increase.