alive
Lawyers keep hope
alive
Hopes of forcing a public
inquiry into foot-and-mouth
revived this week with a
fresh legal challenge,
reports Mike Stones
A NEW legal bid to force the government to hold a public inquiry into foot-and-mouth was launched this week.
West Country law firm Clarke Willmott Clarke and Richard Lissack QC are to appeal the judicial review verdict that the government was right not to hold a public inquiry into F&M (News, Mar 22).
Pledges of about £10,000, have helped to fund a legal bid to seek permission for an appeal at the High Court in London. The deadline by which an appeal must be lodged expires today.
If permission was granted, an appeal would be heard by three High Court Judges. If that was rejected, a final appeal could be made to the House of Lords.
"Im cautiously optimistic of a successful outcome," the firms law specialist Tim Russ told farmers weekly. "Id put our chances of success at 50/50 provided we can raise enough money to fund the appeal," he added. Mr Russ estimated the cost of an appeal at the High Court to be about £100,000 and an appeal to the House of Lords at £250,000.
West country farmer Robert Percy, in whose name the appeal will be lodged, said the failure of the European inquiry into F&M made a British public inquiry even more important. "Neither the European inquiry nor the many regional British ones have got to the bottom of what happened in our countryside last year and why. F&M was a major incident in the country and it is not right to bury it under the carpet."
• To make a donation to the appeal fund, please contact Tim Russ (01823-445218).