No money will be paid to farmers who have knowingly spread foot-and-mouth disease, Northern Ireland Agriculture Minister Brid Rodgers said today.
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No cash for farmers who spread virus warns Ms Rodgers
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As she prepared to announce details of subsidy payments on Monday, Mrs Rodgers warned that all compensation claims would be probed to ensure those who knowingly played a role in the outbreak receive no cash.
The Department of Agriculture in Northern Ireland has now completed investigations into those behind illegal trading of infected animals which prompted the outbreak, the SDLP minister said.
Papers have been passed to the RUC to pursue while all relevant animals have been traced, tested or destroyed.
During a briefing to the Agriculture Committee at Stormont, Mrs Rodgers said the department would soon be able to start paying compensation to farmers whose livestock have been destroyed.
But she added: "We will be taking a long hard look at all claimants of this compensation to ensure that we are not paying money to anyone who was in any way wittingly responsible for this outbreak."
Northern Ireland has only had one confirmed case of foot-and-mouth at a farm in Meigh, South Armagh, and while Mrs Rodgers expressed the hope there would be no more, she said it was too soon to be confident.
All animals involved in that outbreak and those which were in contact with them have now been slaughtered or incinerated - around 2,500 in total.
PA