Fear-inspired rumours are spreading wildly in the foot and mouth crisis, but the truth is even less palatable, says ROB SIMPSON, press officer of the Yorkshire and North East National Farmers Union.

NOTHING, it seems, spreads quicker than gossip and rumour. And the foot and mouth crisis has been the spark for more ill-founded rumour than I have ever known before.

Stories of farmers or their suppliers not carrying out the necessary biosecurity precautions, or of animals being moved from infected areas into 'clean' areas, have become more commonplace than the disease itself.

But the vast majority of these stories are based not in fact, but in the fear of the disease.

The threat of the disease has led people to grasp at wild stories of improper practice in the hope that they can avoid a similar fate.

They tell themselves that Farmer X was infected because he did something wrong, but if they do everything right they will remain 'clean'.

The reality, in the vast majority of outbreaks, is far less palatable - that despite doing everything right and taking every precaution, the disease still finds its way on to a farm.

Uncomfortable though it is, the truth is that the virus knows no boundaries, and devises ways of circumventing biosecurity measures. That does not mean that farmers should take down their 'No Visitors' signs and remove their disinfectant footbaths; but it does mean we should all recognise that the virus can find its way to even the cleanest and most isolated farm.

Indeed, I have dealt with a number of outbreaks where the farmer involved was held in the highest esteem for his farming practices.

The rumours have also caused media headlines and accusations of malpractice and illegality aimed at the farming community.

The headlines tend to be based more on gossip than fact, and as journalists delve deeper there is invariably scant evidence to back up the accusations.

But as a former journalist I also know that while foot-and-mouth continues to dictate the national news agenda, there will be a multitude of people willing to speculate and theorise on the source, spread and transmission of the disease. If nothing else, everyone in the farming community must support one another!

Anyone with an interest in the countryside has a role to play in eradicating the disease: from the livestock farmer to the rambler and mountain biker.

As a mountain bike enthusiast myself, I share the sense of frustration at being excluded from the North and East Yorkshire bridleways. "Why live in the countryside, if I can't enjoy it?" I ask myself.

Despite being privileged to live in one of the most beautiful parts of the country, the disease is barring me and millions of others from enjoying it to the full...

But when a new outbreak is confirmed, it has been my job over the past few months to support and help the farming victims through one of the most difficult times in their lives. And in doing so, I have seen the genuine heartbreak caused when the disease is confirmed and the farmers' realisation that a life's work is about to be slaughtered.

So I will continue to stay off the bridleways, and I will spend my time instead visiting our rural towns and villages, castles and tea shops, galleries and antique shops, and most especially our pubs and restaurants, until it is safe to return to the countryside.

And you never know. If we learn nothing else from this crisis, we will never forget how vital the farming industry is to the well-being of our country.

A period of abstinence might also lead to an appreciation of just how critical the countryside is to the public's body and soul.