IMPORTS, and whether that was the source of last year's foot-and-mouth outbreak, were the main concerns of farmers and growers from the Pershore and Upton-on-Severn branch when they met Sir Michael Spicer, MP for West Worcestershire.

One view was that foot-and-mouth disease which ravaged the livestock industry last year was imported and Sir Michael said he would try to get to the root of it, though it was clear that without a public inquiry it was unlikely to be settled conclusively.

Another concerned the imports of organic produce, 75 per cent of off-the-shelves sales in Britain. "I was asked to find out if organic standards in other countries were as strict as ours," Sir Michael said. "It is obviously unacceptable if there are lower standards for organic farmers abroad than here."

Sir Michael is also to take up with the appropriate government department the problem of illegal animal imports. He pointed out there were 2,710 seizures in a comparatively short period and said: "Clearly there is an issue to be addressed here."

Ray Foster-Morison, NFU group secretary at Pershore, said: "I was quite amazed at the amount of meat products seized, amounting to 124 tonnes, which shows just how much must be coming in. Farmers are desperately worried that foot-and-mouth could happen again unless more prevention is done, as happens in other countries."

Mr Foster-Morison added: "We don't think the industry could take another foot-and-mouth crisis."