A furious farmer's wife has protested to the Government after a footpath was reopened through the middle of a field of pedigree cows.

Wendy Parkin, of Manor Farm, Gateforth, near Selby, said she was furious that the family's 60 Freisian cows were being put at increased risk of contracting foot-and-mouth from walkers.

The footpath was one of hundreds re-opened last week by North Yorkshire County Council following consultations with the National Farmers Union and the County Land and Business Association.

The county council re-opened footpaths in an area south of the A170 and east of the A19/A1 after the Government's chief vet said there was no evidence whatsoever that walkers were responsible for spreading the disease.

Mrs Parkin, who runs the farm with her husband and two sons, has now written to the new Minister for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Margaret Beckett, to voice her disapproval.

She has also written to Selby MP John Grogan, calling on him to back her stance.

Mrs Parkin said: "I'm happy for walkers to use footpaths over our arable land, but to re-open a footpath straight across a field where pedigree cows are grazing doesn't make sense.

"We're trying to take all the precautions we can to minimise the risk and thought that common sense would prevail when livestock is on the land.

"I couldn't believe they had re-opened the path. The other night when the cows came in to be milked, a man walked across the field because he didn't know cattle were grazing there.

"There's no proof that walkers can spread the disease, but there's no proof they can't."

County council chiefs are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of foot-and-mouth on the tourist industry, which they say is costing North Yorkshire £1 million a day.

They recently warned farmers who illegally post "no entry" signs on re-opened footpaths that they face fines of up to £5,000.

Updated: 08:16 Friday, June 29, 2001