Official report says Government bungled over foot-and-mouth

The Government admitted making grave mistakes in its handling of the foot-and-mouth outbreak after an official report yesterday painted a damning picture of Whitehall panic, delay and bungling over the epidemic.

Its author, Iain Anderson, spoke of his frustration over his failure to discover who took a series of crucial decisions, including the deployment of the Army, extending the cull of animals and the closure of footpaths.

Mr Anderson reserved strong criticism for Nick Brown, the former agriculture minister and now Minister for Work. His report said Mr Brown's comments that he believed the disease was under control "did not reflect the situation on the ground" and "contributed to the loss of trust on the part of rural communities".

Foot-and-Mouth Disease 2001 – Lessons to Be Learned Inquiry, is the last of three investigations into the outbreak. It says: "A sense of panic appeared, communications became erratic and orderly processes started to break down. Decision-making became haphazard and messy."

The Tories said the report amounted to "a shocking catalogue of incompetence".