British Horseracing Board chairman Peter Savill yesterday strongly defended the decision to carry on racing in the face of the present foot-and-mouth crisis.

Savill, who had been in America when the outbreak was confirmed and the seven-day ban on racing decided, told a press conference at Plumpton yesterday: "I see it as a very straightforward decision, although a lot of emotion is attached to it. The outbreak is a concern not just to the farming fraternity but the whole country.

"It is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture. There is no doubt in my mind that if the Ministry believed there was any risk whatsoever of racing continuing and adding to the dangers of spreading the disease then they would have come to the decision that racing should stop. "They would have instructed us to introduce a ban."

Savill, who is also chairman of Plumpton racecourse, emphasised the economic importance to racing of continuing wherever necessary. "As long as MAFF is happy for racing to continue we have a responsibility to our own industry not to put the 100,000 or so people employed in racing at risk," he continued.

"It would cause severe economic hardship if we came out in sympathy of the farmers; we are doing the right thing in deciding to race where we can."

He likened the outbreak to the perceived risk of the HIV virus some years ago. "People thought that being in the same room as a sufferer put you at risk," he said.

"Of course, that was not true, but the public was not ready to accept the medical evidence put before them and I fear we may have the same situation here. I have to leave out the emotional side of it and go by the scientific evidence."

Asked why Ireland had banned racing and Britain had not, Savill replied: "When should we say we will be governed by another country's decision? Our Government is the British Government and therefore we must be guided by what they say."

Meanwhile, a decision as to whether Saturday's meeting at Market Rasen gets the go-ahead will be taken today.