THE year-long judicial inquiry that begins today into the BSE crisis may appear to many as a costly exercise in locking the stable door after the horse has bolted.

For thousands of cattle have already been slaughtered to combat "mad cow disease" and the beef trade remains decimated by it.

But since the inquiry's task is to explore the root causes of the disease as well as examining the way the crisis was handled by the government, it will not be just in the business of raking over old evidence but, much more importantly, seeking the truth.

And, since one truth that is not yet fully known or fully understood is precisely what causes BSE, a concerted and impartial quest for the answer is vital.

Lord Justice Phillips, the Appeal Court judge heading the inquiry, will do well, therefore, to keep this quest for the truth to the fore - for both the benefit of a confused and concerned public and for the restoration of the confidence in beef so that the suffering of farmers may end. It is also imperative that this probe must not be obfuscated by the kind of playing-down tactics from vested interests and politicians that have previously characterised the official response to the crisis.

There is, after all, a lot confusion and doubt to be confronted.

For the perplexities of this plague are manifest.

It is, for instance, suggested that pesticides could be the cause of BSE rather than "cannibal" animal products added to cattle feed.

And just how or why could a vegetarian become a victim of the new variant of CJD, the human disease linked to BSE and meat-eating?

This inquiry may never achieve all the answers, but it has a duty to try and at least dispel much of the uncertainty that has accompanied this plague for too long already.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.