THE worst of the foot and mouth epidemic might now be over, but it could be years before the countryside recovers from the outbreak.

That was the message from Skipton and Ripon MP David Curry when he visited farms and other rural businesses in and around Bolton Abbey on Friday.

Mr Curry, who is also chairman of the House of Commons' Select Committee on Agriculture, visited dairy, beef and sheep farms, as well as a dairy farm that had diversified to offer bed and breakfast accommodation.

His final visit was to a caravan and camping site at Howgill, before a private meeting with agricultural, industrial and business tenants of the Bolton Abbey Estate.

"There has been not a single case of foot and mouth in my constituency, yet the sheer disruption to life here has been immense," said Mr Curry.

"It started with the farming community but its effects spread very quickly to the wider rural community."

The MP also accused the Labour Government of doing too little, too late in the early days of the outbreak, then dithering on the issue of vaccination.

"By the time the Government seriously considered it, it was already too late," he said.

"The Government was too slow to get the suspicion-to-slaughter time down to 24 hours then too slow to get the Army in for the disposal of carcasses.

"Nick Brown (the Minister for Agriculture) was announcing the epidemic was under control, then three days later we had the Government's chief scientist saying it was wholly out of control."

Mr Curry said that was just one of a series of mixed messages given out to the public, increasing confusion and damaging the rural economy. In particular the early severe warnings to stay away from the countryside followed by insistence that the countryside was open for business, as the rural economy began to collapse.

But it was the farmers themselves who were hit first and hit hardest said the MP.

"It is impossible to exaggerate the sheer trauma that farmers have faced," he said

Mr Curry said he had been trying to visit the businesses most affected by the crisis. In Craven he had visited Grassington, Settle, Ingleton, Threshfield to gather evidence to take to Government and lobby for material help.

"The business rate relief in rural areas is welcome, but the £12,000 ceiling is totally unrealistic and the burden on Craven District Council will be huge. There have already been 388 enquiries.

"This epidemic will rumble along at a very low level for some time. I do think we're over the worst now, but it will take years to get over the effects, and for many people, they never will."

* A limited number of footpaths and bridleways in Craven are to be opened for the May Day weekend.

The decision will see the opening of about 20 kilometres of rights of way across some 30 different routes, all of which are outside the infected areas and do not cross open farmland.

The open footpaths and bridleways will be clearly marked with green "open" signs. Those that remain closed, which are the majority in the national park, will be signed with a red "closed" sign.

An up-to-date list of open rights of way will be posted on North Yorkshire County Council's website - www.northyorks.gov.uk.

All of the national park authority's national park centres will also have up-to-date information.

National park chief executive David Butterworth said: "Containment of foot and mouth disease in the national park has been and remains the priority for this authority."