FARMERS across the New Forest breathed a sigh of relief as their animals were allowed to return to their rightful grazing grounds.

One commoner described setting cattle free from muddy pens as the end of ten weeks of hell.

And they are in no doubt who is to blame - countryside minister Elliot Morley and the Forestry Commission.

Owners of the New Forest's ponies and cattle have launched a blistering attack on the minister and the organisation.

They are angry that around 600 of the 2,800 animals kept off the open Forest had to be slaughtered to end their suffering in the farmyard quagmires.

Commoners' Defence Association (CDA) chairman Richard Manley accused Mr Morley of being prepared to sacrifice the Forest for political gain and the Forestry Commission of acting irresponsibly.

Mr Morley was not named in a strongly-worded statement but he is the minister responsible for the Forest and he toured the area last month to mark the re-opening of some car parks.

The statement said: "The minister responsible for the Forest did not only fail to understand what we were all trying to achieve, he was prepared to sacrifice the Forest for political gain. Risk assessments have taken on a whole new meaning. Apparently you now ignore the factors such as adjacent cattle and inability to police car parks as these will not give you the result you want."

The statement went on to praise the public and numerous organisations who had supported the commoners' cause including the New Forest Committee, Hampshire County Council, the National Farmers' Union, the National Trust and the local tourist industry.

But Forestry Commission deputy surveyor Donald Thompson said: "Steps had to be taken to isolate the Forest animals. We had no qualms about the risks that were being run.

"They were minimal and if they were minimal, how could be described as irresponsible.

He also pointed out that when it came to the decision to put the cattle back on the Forest Mr Morley "gave his backing to the final push."

And he added: "It is unfair to suggest that Mr Morley was not working with the interests of the commoners and the livestock in mind."

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food added: "It has been a very difficult situation with so many different interests involved and it would not have been easy to find a solution that was acceptable to everyone.