An easing of foot-and-mouth restrictions in Northern Ireland could come as early as this week, according to both the Minister for Agriculture Mrs Brid Rodgers and the Minister for Enterprise, Sir Reg Empey.
During Ministerial Questions, she told SDLP Assembly member Mr Eddie McGrady she hoped to bring "revised guidelines" on combating the disease before the cabinet next Thursday.
Calling for continued vigilance on farms and at ports in the province, Mrs Rodgers confirmed: "Those guidelines are being discussed within the inter-departmental group which I chair.
"I want to be able to see what relaxation we can bring in to ease the restrictions that are at present being suffered by the public in general and indeed by sporting bodies as well as by industry but always within the context of not moving too fast with the possible result of undoing all of the good and effective work that has been done with the support of the whole community and the (farming) industry." Sir Reg Empey, speaking after a meeting in Belfast with local councils and representatives of the tourist industry to discuss the crisis, said the Northern Ireland Tourist Board was preparing a major marketing drive to try and re-coup business once the crisis was over.
But he said any relaxation would only be made on advice from veterinary experts.
"If things go as planned this week we would be in a position to look at ways we can relax things, but that has to be guided by veterinary advice," he said.
He said people had been focusing on the agriculture industry during the crisis and tourism had "almost been the forgotten victim".
But he said a great number of events and conferences had been cancelled, hotels were operating at between 30-50 per cent of the norm and had suffered a "very substantial drop in bookings", and while airlines reported current business holding up, there was a worrying drop in advance bookings.
The meeting between the minister and the tourism industry went ahead against a backdrop of a fresh call from Northern Ireland's chief vet for farmers to maintain their "fortress farm" policy.
• The Minister for Agriculture Food and Development has welcomed the easing of restrictions on the importation of Irish agricultural produce into Australia.
Mr Walsh said he made strong representations to the Australian authorities through diplomatic channels and added the market was an important destination for certain milk products, in particular, infant formula and cream liqueurs.
PA