A farmer has branded the handling of the foot-and-mouth crisis a disgrace after he was given conflicting advice about a dead deer on his land.

Peter Ratcliffe, of Ashes Farm in Cressing, near Braintree, was told about the animal yesterday (Thursday) by a passing motorist.

Because of the foot-and-mouth restrictions, he was not sure if he could move the carcass. So he contacted the trading standards department at Essex County Council and asked them what he should do about it.

He said: "I was amazed. They just were not interested. The man I spoke to said I could dispose of it however I wanted to."

See our special section on foot-and-mouth disease and how it affects Essex on our sister site, Business In Essex Then a phone call to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Maff) helpline provided Mr Ratcliffe with very different advice.

One of the operators on the helpline said it was a case that should be referred to Maff vets and, until they had decided what to do, Mr Ratcliffe should not touch it.

Mr Ratcliffe, who farms crops, said: "I think it's a national disgrace the way this crisis is being handled and this goes to show it."

A spokesman for Essex Trading Standards said their information had come direct from Maff's divisional vet manager.

He said: "We had a similar incident the other day in Colchester and the message from Maff was that unless the wild animal was in the Brentwood area they were not interested."

Rebecca Thompson, a spokeswoman for Maff, today (Friday) said she was concerned about the information given out by trading standards.

She said: "We are obviously concerned with any dead animals, especially those with cloven hoofs and ones that are found close to exclusion zones."

She said any member of the public who discovered a dead animal in the countryside should call the Maff helpline on 0845 0504141.

Police eventually contacted him to say the animal had been checked and it could be disposed of.

He then arranged for it to be taken away by a deer management specialist.

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