THE leader of the country's biggest farming union has called for urgent Government investment to develop a new vaccine to combat foot and mouth.

National Farmers' Union president Ben Gill, who farms near Easingwold, earlier this year opposed plans to vaccinate animals during the crisis.

But today he said there was a need for worldwide research to develop a vaccine. He said that cutbacks into research are "a disgrace".

Mr Gill, who has been criticised by many farmers for his opposition to vaccination, told Radio 4: "It was the treasury which did not properly fund basic research.

"It's the treasury who put the pressures on MAFF (the former Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) over the years that have cut back the basic research in this country that we should have had to fulfil the people's expectation.

"When I've been and talked to other world authorities, they are more than willing, very keen, to ensure that the research to deliver the vaccines and proper control methods are co-ordinated on a world basis."

Elliot Morley, the Government minister who served at MAFF and is now at its successor, the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), told the programme he never wanted to see a repeat of the mass culling of animals that had happened this year.

"Of course there might be things we want to do differently in the future. We are having a big conference in Belgium on things like vaccination for instance.

"We are investing in new science and new tests and that might be very helpful in the future," he said.

"My personal opinion is that I don't want to see culling on this scale again."

Updated: 10:45 Monday, November 19, 2001