Certainly, despite Mr Djukanovic’s bullish statements yesterday, we must hope so Independence is not unthinkable. But Montenegrins must understand that the potential risks are at least as great as the rewards.. Whether the foot-and-mouth crisis really is under control (and there are encouraging signs that the rate of new cases is slowing), the aftermath of the disease, in terms of disposing of the carcasses of both diseased and healthy animals, will remain with us for some time. Whether the foot-and-mouth crisis really is under control (and there are encouraging signs that the rate of new cases is slowing), the aftermath of the disease, in terms of disposing of the carcasses of both diseased and healthy animals, will remain with us for some time The scale of the task can scarcely be overstated.

There are some 1.8 million animals currently awaiting destruction. Difficult questions remain about the best way to destroy the carcasses.The most urgent of these questions concerns the level of potentially harmful dioxins that are released into the environment when huge numbers of animals are piled on to pyres and set alight. A few dioxins are 1,000 times more deadly than arsenic, some are carcinogenic and some are a suspected cause of birth defects. People in communities near the sites of these fires are understandably concerned about the risks to their health.A study carried out by the Government estimates that, in the six months to the beginning of April ­ during which time about 500,000 animals had been destroyed ­ 63 grammes of dioxins had been emitted by the pyres ­ a dose that is theoretically capable of harming 2 billion people. Although the risks to health from these dioxins are sometimes exaggerated, the public is clearly worried, and there is certainly a case for the Government to answer.And, to be fair, Michael Meacher, the environment minister, has tried to acknowledge legitimate concerns.

But, as he rightly pointed out yesterday, in many cases there is simply no alternative to incineration in situ. It may not be practical ­ or advisable from the point of view of controlling the spread of the disease ­ to transport all the carcasses to industrial incineration plants, which remains the preferred method. In any case, capacity in these locations is limited.Equally, it may not be possible to bury the animals in some places because of the immediate danger of polluting water supplies; and all agree that we should not contemplate burial of cattle over the age of, say, five because of the risk that they may be incubating BSE. Obviously, every effort should be made to avoid dioxin emissions and, where mass pyres are necessary, to monitor the effects carefully and to answer public concerns.