The discovery of Bluetongue virus in livestock in eastern England has been described as 'very worrying' by Irish farming representatives.
The discovery is another blow for Britain's farming industry, already reeling from the discovery of the more serious foot and mouth disease at several sites in the last two months.
"Laboratory tests have detected the presence of Bluetongue in one cow on a premise near Ipswich, Suffolk," Britain's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said in a statement.
"The premises where Bluetongue has been found is under restrictions. One infected animal will be culled and epidemiological investigations are being carried out to assess the situation."
Mr Malcolm Thompson, President of the Irish Cattle and Sheep farmers Association (ICMSA) has described the case of Bluetongue in the UK as "very worrying."
"This is a very worrying development, and if it spreads to Ireland, it would have an extremely negative impact on Irish meat exports," he said.
Bluetongue causes fever and mouth ulcers and in some cases turns an animal's tongue blue. It is transmitted by insects such as midges and can be highly dangerous to sheep and cows, although it does not affect humans.
Bluetongue is mostly found in Mediterranean countries such as Italy, Spain and in North Africa, but has spread more widely this year across five more northerly EU countries - Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
The detection of the virus came a day after authorities said they had confirmed another case of foot and mouth disease at a farm in southern England - the sixth infected premises found since August 3 - and ordered the slaughter of its cattle.
"It's another kick in the teeth (for the industry)," Mr Ian Jones, virologist at Reading University, told Sky News.
A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he had been told of the case and had spoken with Environment Secretary Hilary Benn and chief veterinarian Ms Debby Reynolds. "He's keeping informed of developments," she said