British Ministry of Agriculture workers last night lit a "funeral pyre" for hundreds of slaughtered pigs at a farm in Nortumberland devastated by the foot-and-mouth outbreak.
There were also fears that the outbreak may have spread to north Wales. Tests are being carried out on a sheep found with symptoms at an abattoir at Gaerwen, Anglesey.
At Burnside Farm in Heddon-on-the-Wall, Northumberland, a wall of flame lit the night sky as officials burned more than 800 pig carcasses.
Meanwhile, EU Farm Ministers are due to meet later today against the deepening crisis as the disease appears to be spreading across Britain, threatening Ireland and Europe.
With all movement of animals banned in Britain and abattoirs shut there, there has been disruption to food supplies and the cancellation of social and sporting events.
The most serious development from Ireland's position is the confirmation of the disease in Devon, on Britain's west coast, on a farm which exported pigs and sheep to the continent.
Because the foot-and-mouth virus can be spread by the wind, it had been hoped here that the disease could have been confined to its east coast, lessening the possibility of it spreading to Ireland. The suspected case in Wales has deepened concerns. There is now a serious threat to racing in Britain, including the Cheltenham meeting in March.
Bord Bia, the Irish Food board, says the disruption caused by the disease will increase opportunities for Irish lamb exports to France. British supermarkets have already said they will source pork and lamb from the Republic.
Yesterday, a spokesman for the Department of Agriculture said it was highly unlikely that pigs or semen had been imported into the Republic from the Devon farm which has now become the focus of attention. He added that, if necessary, the Department might ban the movement of horses to and from Britain, which would most certainly lead to a cancellation of the Cheltenham meeting.
He also defended the controls put in place at the Border, airports and at ports, to stop the disease getting into the State on contaminated vehicles or on shoes and clothing. Reports in Sunday newspapers that the Department had ignored warnings about controls on imports of food were untrue, he said.
The spokesman appealed to the public to contact the Department if they became aware of imported foods which had not been removed from shelves in supermarkets or if they were concerned about the source of the food.
A spokesman for the Irish Rugby Football Union said that it was monitoring the situation regarding the Welsh game in Cardiff on Saturday and the England game in Dublin on March 24th.
Today Northern Ireland authorities will receive the results of tests on an animal they believe died of malignant catarrh, which has symptoms similar to the foot-and-mouth virus.
- Additional reporting by PA.