VACCINATION is the way forward in any future foot-and-mouth outbreak in the European Union according Jan Mulder, the Dutch deputy chairman of the EU inquiry into the epidemic, writes Farming Reporter Justin Hawkins.

Ring vaccination was used in Mr Mulder's native Netherlands when the virus was detected there in February 2001, with eight confirmed cases.

"In the Netherlands we had vaccination instead of contiguous culling," he said, and added that, although the animals were culled after being vaccinated, the Dutch outbreak was over by June.

As well as a vaccination programme Mr Mulder said that to prevent further outbreaks there also had to be better border controls.

Cumbria Tourist Board chief executive Chris Collier, who addressed the meeting of the EU inquiry panel at the Castle Green Hotel in Kendal, said the vaccination issue should be sorted out: "Learn while we are at peace so if the war returns we are prepared." She described culling as a "barbaric and medieval" process which had taken its toll mentally on many people and should not be repeated.

Tourism recovery was "ongoing" she claimed.

Visitor numbers looked good and she was optimistic about a successful season: "But there are some people in the valleys still feeling the pain.

If you have lost all your cash reserves and are still borrowing money it is difficult."

Burn How Garden House Hotel director Michael Robinson said central lakes tourism recovered well from the foot-and-mouth outbreak.

The Bowness hotelier's message for the committee to take back to Brussels was to encourage a dialogue between tourism and farming, with diversification being the key word: "Farming can learn a lot from tourism," he said.

Cumbria's NFU deputy chairman Steve Dunning said a South African vet had told him Third World countries handle foot-and-mouth better than Britain.

He said he felt very sorry for the tourist industry: "I saw businesses stop.

If this happens again tourism must go on.

Footpaths must be found that can be used."

Former NFU county chairman Gordon Capstick said from day one foot-and-mouth was mishandled: "There was a lack of urgency by Government.

Cumbria, Northumbria and County Durham had seven MAFF vets between them.

"There has to be a contingency whether it be vaccination or not, " he said.

The EU visit to Kendal last week focused on the impact of the epidemic on the tourist industry, earlier it looked at farming issues further north.

But the inquiry has come under fire for the briefness if its visit to the worst affected parts of Britain and for not holding public meetings.

The meetings at Longtown Auction Mart and at Kendal were not open to the public.

Indeed, the only genuinely public meeting of the visit was at Gretna Green and lasted only two-and-a-half hours.

NFU North West policy adviser Veronica Waller said: "We feel the visit has been far too short to get over in sufficient detail the lessons to be learned from Cumbria's experience of foot-and-mouth."