§ The Earl of Courtownasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people have been charged with fraud in connection with the foot and mouth disease outbreak; and of them how many of these are farmers or slaughtermen. [HL2106]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty)Six people have been prosecuted by Defra for fraud offences in connection with the foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001. Three members of staff were prosecuted and pleaded guilty to making false subsistence claims. Three farmers were prosecuted for making false compensation claims; one farmer pleaded guilty, two farmers were acquitted. There have been no prosecutions of slaughtermen by Defra for fraud.
There are no outstanding prosecutions. There are also a significant number of ongoing disputes about contracts during the foot and mouth epidemic, some of which are the subject of legal proceedings.