The European Court of Auditors (ECA) has published a report scrutinising the European Commission’s (EC) role in managing the foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in 2001. It states the EC’s response to the crisis was swift, rules properly applied and effective enough to stop the disease from further spreading. The court has, however, criticised the commission’s insufficient preparedness for the epidemic and individual weaknesses of EU member states, including inconsistencies in compensation levels for farmers.

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