• The Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food is still
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refusing to give the grain suppliers organisation UKASTA a list of hauliers Involved in the disposal of foot and mouth Infected carcasses, prompting speculation that the ministry doesn't want to open Itself up to compensation claims.
MAFF promised hauliers offering to work following the outbreak once the vehicles had been properly disinfected. But UKASTA is insisting that no vehicles involved in that operation should ever be allowed to carry grain in the future.
It is locked in a battle with MAFF to obtain a list of hauliers whose vehicles were involved and are now "contaminated"— MAFF's lawyers insist that this would be a breach of commercial confidentiality.
"The Food Standards Agency has sided with us and says it is vital that the list is handed over, but so far we've been told it's not going to happen," says UKASTA spokesman Jeremy Smith.
One reason that MAFF might be reluctant to publish the list is that it could be forced to pay compensation to hauliers who accepted its assurances, only to find that their vehicles will be barred from other work involving foodstuffs.
MIFF was unavailable for comment.