UNLIKE her predecessor, new DEFRA Secretary of State Margaret Beckett played her cards close to her chest during a visit to the Settle foot and mouth rectangle yesterday.

She visited a farm near Hellifield where more than 1500 animals have been culled and although she expressed deep sympathy for farmer David Beresford, she gave few clues as to any new direction her newly created food, environment and rural affairs department will take in its approach.

This was in marked contrast to her sacked predecessor, MAFF minister Nick Brown, who blotted his copybook - and helped bring about the demise of his ministry - by insisting that the disease was "under control" two weeks into the crisis - a prediction that was proved to be disastrously wrong.

Observers were left to sift through minor clues, like her insistence that the Government was pouring money into "small family farms" - a significant phrase - a call for changes in the notorious European Common Agriculture, and several references to "other stakeholders" in the rural economy, i.e. tourism and other enterprises which now create much more wealth and jobs than farming.

This came as no surprise: everyone, including the NFU, believes that foot and mouth will mark a radical turning point in the history of British farming. Just how Mrs Beckett will bring that about will remain a mystery until she finally shows her cards.

• There was one point of good news: there were no confirmed new cases of the disease in the Settle area, although there were two in Cumbria, the only new outbreaks in the UK.