IMPORTED meat bought by the Ministry of Defence may be linked to the foot and mouth outbreak. Is has been revealed that swill from MoD food was used on the farm where the epidemic is reported to have started.

The LibDem parliamentary spokesman for Ryedale, Keith Orrell, is among those opposed to the MoD buying imported meat: "I have been campaigning for several years for the MoD to buy British meat for our armed forces. The Labour Government has been no better than the Tories, continuing this policy.

"The MoD continually cites price as the determining factor for its buying policy. It is time governments took a wider view."

Updated: 10:38 Thursday, May 03, 2001