THERE was little let-up for farmers in the Settle-Clitheroe rectangle over the weekend, with six news cases in the district and a further two in North Yorkshire in the Northallerton area.

This brings the total in North Yorkshire to 71, a horrific enough numbers but only a tenth of those suffered in Cumbria where, over the weekend, many famous footpaths were re-opened to walkers under tight supervision by national park rangers.

Observers hope that lessons learned in Cumbria, and a huge army presence based at Gisburn Auction Mart, will bring about swifter control of the disease in the Settle area.

In the meantime, the NFU has welcomed the creation of the new Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (see News)