STEPS are being taken to lift foot and mouth disease restrictions on farms across North Yorkshire.

But the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is having trouble contacting all the farms affected by Form D control measures - including farms in Thirsk, Northallerton and Settle.

So farmers are being asked to contact DEFRA themselves and arrange a visit from a vet who can carry out blood tests on stock as soon as possible.

Form D restrictions were imposed on all farms within a three kilometre zone around a farm infected with foot and mouth disease.

The blood testing of stock is the first step towards lifting the restrictions and ensures that the virus does not remain undetected within a region. DEFRA is working to contact all farmers under Form D restrictions across the whole of Yorkshire and undertake tests as quickly as possible.

The key areas include Yeadon, Ilkley, the Settle/Clitheroe box, Wensleydale, Richmond, Northallerton, Picton, Yarm, Thirsk and Whitby.

Nafees Meah, director of operations at the DEFRA Disease Control Centre in Leeds, said: "Blood testing stock is an essential part of the process of lifting the Form D restrictions on farms within the three kilometre zone around infected premises.

To arrange to have stock checked, farmers on Form D premises should contact the Leeds Disease Control Centre on 0113 2300100.

Meanwhile, two top-level conferences are being organised by the North York Moors National Park Authority to plan the revival of the rural economy.

The first will be at Whitby, on November 20, and the second, focusing on the tourism industry, next spring.

Andy Wilson, the park's chief executive said four other smaller seminars were being planned.

Updated: 10:51 Monday, October 01, 2001