Hopes are rising that Northern Ireland will be declared free of foot-and-mouth disease tomorrow.
Agriculture Minister Mrs Bríd Rodgers is expected to make an announcement after exhaustive tests on livestock are finished.
Mrs Rodgers warned it would take longer for the lifting of the latest export ban - which farmers claim could mean disaster for the Northern Ireland livestock industry.
Her assessment came as the Garda manned more than 200 checkpoints along the 242-mile border to enforce the EU embargo on meat and dairy products from Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Mrs Rodgers said indications were encouraging that the source of the outbreak was not located in Northern Ireland.
She said she hoped to make the announcement tomorrow and that the ban on exports could be lifted when a European Commission review was carried out on Tuesday.
Ulster Farmers Union deputy president Mr John Gilliland warned against over-confidence until blood test results were returned. "Don't unnecessarily move stock around just in case we find that there's a problem in Northern Ireland," he warned.
Mrs Rodgers is set to appear before the Stormont Agriculture Committee in the morning with chief veterinary officer Mr Bob McCracken.
Committee chairman Rev Ian Paisley said tonight the current scare could have severe consequences for the industry.
"I must express concern about the lack of consultation that precipitated the ban on the export of Northern Ireland produce to the Republic of Ireland."