The boss of a rendering plant called in to ease the backlog of cattle carcasses today criticised Government officials for their handling of the foot-and- mouth crisis.

Drivers from the P Waddington and Co factory in Buck Street, Bradford, have been sent repeatedly to the wrong farms by co-ordinators from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF), claimed managing director Mark Waddington.

A spokesman for MAFF said any problems were small compared to the task it was facing. But a National Farmers' Union official said such mistakes should never happen.

The city centre plant began taking in carcasses at the beginning of the month and has been processing about 2,000 a week from all over the north of England.

But Mr Waddington said it had been a chaotic experience throughout. He said: "We have been sent to the wrong farms, we have arrived at places and there's been nothing there.

"We have managed to get another address or been diverted to another farm, but it's been a nightmare organisation."

The plant has been taking in cattle from the north west, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the north east and may be called on to help with the situation in Devon.

John Gullett, spokesman for the Bradford area branch of the National Farmers' Union, said: "Maybe someone from Waddington or someone on its behalf should phone the farm, if they have the number, beforehand to say they will be arriving at a certain time and ask if that is acceptable.

"I'm not blaming Waddington, perhaps the army should be brought in help MAFF.

"It should not happen. The last thing you want is trucks from the plant turning up at clean farms because it will at least start rumours, if not worse."

A spokesman for MAFF said it had not experienced any problems with farms in the Bradford area but that it was possible they had occurred in Cumbria.

He said: "We do know that lorries from Cumbria come to Bradford and it is possible that they have experienced problems there.

"If they have, it will be down to the size of the task facing them."

e-mail: kanchan.dutt

@bradford.newsquest.co.uk