THE apparent slowdown in cases of foot and mouth should not lull anyone into a false sense of security, says a leading Midlands farmer.

No cases have been reported in Worcestershire since April 12 and the last one in Herefordshire was in Wigmore, near Leominster, on April 25.

But Bob Forster, of the NFU West Midlands, urged farmers and members of the public to remain vigilant.

He said: "In Cumbria, the latest cases are among cattle being turned out on to land where sheep have been, so we're warning farmers to be extra cautious."

He said the public also had their part to play.

"Everyone wants the countryside to be open but I would urge the public to continue their forbearance and stay away from livestock, respect footpath closures and so on.

"There's no room for complacency or self-congratulation. We are two months into this epidemic and the 1967/8 one lasted six months.

"That one was handled well and this one has been handled badly, but in the fifth month, people were saying it was all over and then there were more outbreaks."

Mr Forster said the end of the crisis should trigger a wide-ranging national debate on the future of the farming industry.

"I'm not sure we need to go as far as a public inquiry but there will be a lot of things to discuss, ranging from how the disease got into Britain in the first place, to the role of farmers who might have inadvertently spread the disease."

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food says five of the three-kilometre protection zones around infected farms in Worcestershire could be lifted soon.

Vets will be carrying out final inspections of farms in the three-kilometre protection zones at Astwood Bank, Stoke Prior, Bishampton and Besford.

Blood samples will be taken from sheep and goats and, if these prove negative, then restrictions can be lifted.

"We would ask everybody to remain vigilant, particularly over the next few weeks as cattle are turned out to grass and are potentially at greater risk of exposure to the virus."