When Malton Livestock Auctioneers called a meeting in the cattle market to explain the rules, which would apply to farmers bringing livestock to sell at the livestock markets, all the farmers listened carefully and agreed to obey the rules.

None of us understood just how stringent those rules were going to be and just how ruthlessly the civil servants who were in charge would implement them.

I personally took two cows to the collection centre on the first Tuesday market and what should have been a simple one-hour job turned into a two-and-a-half-hour nightmare. It was reminiscent of the foot and mouth restrictions all over again.

Only the police presence was lacking, but the ministry officials present did not allow that factor to inhibit them in any way: they had a job to do and they were determined to make certain every farmer, auctioneer and lorry driver knew who was in charge at Malton Market.

Trucks and trailers were washed down just as carefully as they were at the height of the foot and mouth outbreak with the trading standards officials watching to make certain no one cut any corners.

Farmers' trucks, which were towing their trailers, had to be immaculate, both inside and out, and the trailers and cattle wagons were cleansed to commercial kitchen standards. This caused deep resentment.

The whole exercise is a ridiculous attempt to close all the livestock markets, put the auctioneers out of business and hand total control of British agriculture over to the big abattoirs and the super markets.

However, on the day and at subsequent markets, the farmers and hauliers have obeyed the rules, foolish though they may be, and once again a free market is beginning to operate.

Prices have come up to most people's expectations but we must all now apply massive pressure on the Government through our MPs to get these stupid rules relaxed and get trading back to normal again. Unless we do this very quickly, the whole of the farming industry will soon be bankrupt.

Meanwhile, every facet of tourism is being actively encouraged and advertised and even financially helped by the government.

Walkers and their dogs wander from fields full of sheep to fields full of cows with not one restriction or footbath full of disinfectant in sight - and there is still not one check on imported foodstuffs at any port of entry into the UK.

But we are told the Government is considering doing something, sometime, soon, to control illegal imports of meat products.

While they talk and prevaricate, foot and mouth could be back in the country tomorrow, and if that happens both farming and rural- based tourism in this country will take 50 years to recover.

Updated: 09:31 Thursday, April 11, 2002