The president of the British National Farmer's Union today prompted a row with environmentalists after he suggested that eco-terrorists may deliberately have triggered Britain's foot-and-mouth epidemic.
Mr Ben Gill also speculated that disgruntled environmentalists could be behind the rash of epidemics of the disease across the globe.
Friends of the Earth said there was "no evidence" for Mr Gill's "mad hatter" views and accused him of trying to deflect attention away from the NFU's failure to prevent such crises.
Mr Gill delivered his controversial view, which he had previously kept to himself, as he attended a farmers' conference in Canberra, Australia.
He told Australian farmers that opponents to intensive forms of agriculture could not be ruled out as the source of disease outbreaks.He said: "There's no doubt foot-and-mouth spread to the UK illegally and, unfortunately, we cannot rule out eco-terrorism.
"The last thing you would want to do is ease your quarantine rules in Australia. If you can find a way to further tighten them, then do it.
"The pressures of the green groups are intense in Europe, and what I understand, building here in Australia."
Friends of the Earth executive director Mr Charles Secrett said: "Ben Gill's latest mad hatter comments on eco-radicals causing the foot-and-mouth crisis are the latest indication he is cracking up.
"He has no evidence whatsoever to back up this wild assertion.
"It is not the first time he has tried to deflect criticism of his own organisation for the crisis besetting farmers by blaming environmentalists.
Mr Secrett said it was now time to abandon the "intensive" style of farming supported by the NFU and replace it with high quality organic food production, which offered "best practice" for both the environment and animal welfare.
He added: "That is what the market in Britain now wants."
PA