The global ban on the export of British livestock which is pushing British farmers close to the brink is a "necessary evil", the President of the National Farmers Union Ben Gill has said.

His comments come as further outbreaks of the foot and mouth disease are discovered in the UK.

In an interview with this website, Gill said there was no alternative to the ban which was announced last Wednesday following the detection of food and mouth disease in England.

Said Gill: "On top of all the problems we have had to surmount in the last few years, the impact is unthinkable. But it is in the interests of the whole of the British livestock industry that the spread of this disease is halted and there is simply no alternative."

His comments came as UK farmers try to cope with the outbreak of foot and mouth disease which has now effectively shut down the countryside. Whilst the ban was initially put in place until March 1, many now expect this to be extended as further investigations into the source of the outbreak continue.

Gill, however, remains angry that farmers have been dealt a poor hand by the government over recent years. Whilst he concedes that the ban is vital, he believes the government's actions in other areas have pushed farming close to collapse. Red-tape, he said, remained a concern.

He told ePolitix.com that the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions did not understand the role of the countryside in the modern world. "The DETR is the key problem in this area [of red tape] due to environmental legislation. I believe the DETR does not understand the countryside in a properly comprehensive way. They react to the general public feeling that perceives the countryside as 'a frozen Constable landscape'."