Farmers received far too much compensation for the loss of their animals during the foot and mouth outbreak, auditors say today.

In one case, a farmer who paid about £60 for each of his six rams in October 2000 was paid £535 for each one the following March.

Officials from the National Audit Office criticised the absence of financial controls at what was the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, saying "the rationale for the valuation was largely absent from the files."