THE new Animal Health Bill to deal with future outbreaks of Foot and Mouth is a 'draconian' measure which would have seen all the Forest's surviving sheep dead, says a local action group.
The Forest of Dean Foot and Mouth Group is calling a public meeting at Forest Hills Golf Club on Tuesday November 13 at 7pm.
The group's aim is to send a message to the government and a mandate to local MP Diana Organ expressing the views of Forest animal owners and their friends, said group member Janet Bayley.
"We are also calling for a full public inquiry into the handling of the outbreak to take the place of the three inquiries running at the moment which will be completely ineffectual," she said.
"For instance in the Royal Society inquiry which still has four weeks to run the chairman, Sir Brian Follett, is already making public pronouncements on the outcome.
"He has not yet heard all the evidence and it seems to be a foregone conclusion."
However the group's main fear was the new legislation which would take away all rights to resist or appeal against culling, she said.
It would make illegal protests against contiguous culling like the ones seen in the Forest, where none of the saved animals that had been tested had since showed any signs of the disease.
The group believes this cuts across European Human Rights Legislation and aims to challenge government action on this and other fronts.
"We would like as many people to come along to the meeting to give their views," said Janet Bailey