There were fears yesterday foot-and-mouth had spread to Co Derry with a suspect case announced on a farm in Limavady, which has been sealed off.
However, the case was described as a "cold" suspect and no precautionary cull will take place. Vets from the North's Department of Agriculture were called to the farm following a high mortality rate among the lambs. Samples have been sent to Pirbright laboratory.
The culling of animals around the two recent outbreaks in Ardboe, Co Tyrone, and in the Glens of Antrim continued yesterday. Three-kilometre protection zones and 10 km surveillance zones have been established at both locations. A precautionary cull was also carried out in Ballymoney, Co Antrim, after it was established the sheep had been moved from an infected area.
To date 1,500 cattle, 700 sheep and 2,600 pigs have been killed around two farms in Co Tyrone with 100 cattle and 3,100 sheep slaughtered at three locations in Co Antrim. More than 9,000 animals were killed around the initial outbreak in south Armagh.
It has also been estimated up to 15,000 sheep may be slaughtered in Co Antrim if antibodies are detected following serology tests of the flocks.
The North's Minister for Agriculture, Mrs Brid Rogers, yesterday announced the relaxing of animal movements from Monday to allow movement from shed to grass if sheep have not grazed on the land for 14 days. But animals may not cross a public road. Limited movement of animals from farm to abattoir will also be allowed if animals are not from within a restricted area.
Farmers in the North have also been warned that penalties for ignoring guidelines on the movement of animals will be enforced with increased vigour. The Department has said farmers who move animals without authorisation will have their livestock slaughtered without compensation. They could also face a prison sentence of up to one month under animal health legislation and fines of £1,000 per animal when more than five animals are involved.
A spokesman for the Department said because criminal matters lay outside the scope of the devolved administration, consultations would be held with the Northern Ireland Office to discuss ways in which the penalties could be tightened further to "mirror" severe penalties in existence in the Republic.
Meanwhile, investigators in the North continue to follow several leads in order to locate the source of the two recent outbreaks, the first since Meigh, in south Armagh, over six weeks ago.
It is understood a sizeable number of the 15,000 sheep imported from the Longtown market in Carlisle between January 1st and February 19th, when the Meigh consignment entered the North, have yet to be traced. The possibility that other imported flocks from the market were infected and arrived at destinations around the North has not been discounted.
Investigators are also probing a possible familial link between the Donnelly family in Ardboe and a person living in Ravensdale, Co Louth, the scene of the Republic's only confirmed outbreak of the disease, indicating the virus may have been passed through human contact.
The Ulster Farmers' Union president, Mr Douglas Rowe, yesterday stressed farmers were only compensated for the basic cost of their herd.
"They are not compensated for their loss of income, for the stress involved, for the disinfectant needed, for any repairs required after the pyres. They are just compensated for their stock," he said.