Farmers may have welcomed the lifting of a freeze on cattle movements following the foot and mouth scare - but it is not much use to Robert Florey.

Mr Florey has 80 head of beef stranded on a relative's farm 30 miles away and cannot move them back because the relaxation is limited to taking cattle to slaughter.

Mr Florey moved part of his 130 herd to a farm near Brill when floods overwhelmed his 500-acres at Rectory Farm, Northmoor, west Oxfordshire, nearly three weeks ago.

What he is now dreading is any further outbreak of the disease because it could prevent him moving the cattle back to some indeterminate time in the future.

"That is the worst scenario," he said. "It's been pretty bad so far. About 90 per cent of our farm was under water and we just had to remove most of our herd.

"They are now at my brother-in-law's farm, eating his grass, and until the ban is lifted for all movement we cannot do anything about it."

Mr Florey was hoping yesterday to get the combine harvester out into his fields for the first time.

"The ground has been too wet and is still soggy in places, he said.

"It is not just the farmers who are hit by this latest setback of foot and mouth. Hauliers and large stock markets are also feeling the effects."

The collection of dead animals and the movement of animals directly from farms to slaughterhouses became permissible under licence from yesterday, following an announcement by the Government's chief veterinary officer Debby Reynolds.

The relaxation on restrictions came despite the announcement that livestock on a third farm next to one of the previously infected premises in Surrey was being culled on suspicion of foot and mouth.

The ban on all other movements of susceptible animals still remains in place.

The limited movement was welcomed by the National Farmers' Union, which said it was an important step towards getting the industry functioning again.

NFU president Peter Kendall said: "This is a measured and very necessary first step on the road towards getting the industry back to normal and maintaining supplies of home-produced meat to consumers, but it should not be taken in any way as a signal that we can afford to drop our guard.

"It is as vital as ever that livestock farmers remain vigilant, check their stock regularly and report anything suspicious immed- iately.

"The highest possible standards of bio-security must be maintained."

Other Oxfordshire farmers described the latest scare as "a body blow" - but said the Government had acted with speed.