Inquiry call: former PM John Major

John Major has backed calls for a public inquiry into the foot-and-mouth crisis.

The former Tory prime Minister, making his first foray back into public debate since standing down as the MP for Huntingdon, said in a letter to The Telegraph on Wednesday that Tony Blair should make a commitment to farmers to hold an inquiry.

Though the prime minister has said there will be an investigation into the outbreak, which has so far cost the country more than £1.28 billion, he has stopped short of agreeing to a full public inquiry.

The government argues the cost of setting up another review similar to the BSE inquiry would be too much and take too long to deliver its findings.

Major has admitted for the first time he was wrong to reject a public inquiry into the BSE outbreak while he was PM.

He believed Tony Blair's response was "geared more to the political interests of the Labour government than to the economic interests of farmers and the rural community".

Major said only a public inquiry could answer whether the government prematurely declared foot-and-mouth to be under control in order to call a June 7 election.

"I am content for the prime minister to take advice on the precise nature of the inquiry, but he should commit himself to it without delay and ensure that it will be held fully in public. Our rural communities - both present and future - deserve no less," he said.

Environment minister Elliot Morley was forced to call off abandon plans to tour a foot and mouth biosecurity zone after fears that the visit could jeopardise the measures that the visit was aimed at promoting.

The minister was due to visit a sheep farm in the epidemic hit Thirsk area as part of a renewed government focus on enforcing Biosecurity Intensification Areas."Several farmers were approached on the blood-testing circuit but were concerned about biosecurity. Farmers want to make sure they have the highest biosecurity measures in place. The minister understands why," said a Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesman.