The battle to keep foot-and-mouth disease out of the State must continue and, where necessary, intensify, the Minister for Agriculture said.

"The success of the measures we have taken to date must not be taken as any excuse for complacency," Mr Walsh added. He described as "quite alarming" the information received about the spread of the disease in Britain in the last few days.

Mr Walsh was introducing the Diseases of Animals (Amendment) Bill 2001, which passed all stages. The Bill's measures, he said, were aimed at a minority and would significantly enhance the State's ability to identify and prosecute wrongdoers, whoever they were - factories, dealers, farmers or anyone else engaged in irresponsible and illegal activities.

"I want to repeat, however, that these people are a very small group, and that the overwhelming majority of honest and responsible people in the industry have nothing whatever to fear from these measures."

Mr Walsh said the Bill gave extensive powers to authorised officers to stop persons and vehicles, and to enter any land or premises where there was a reasonable suspicion that any animal might be infected or illegally moved.

On summary conviction, a person guilty of obstruction was liable to a fine of up to £1,500 and or imprisonment for six months. On conviction on indictment, a person was liable to a fine of up to £100,000 and or five years' imprisonment.

Mr Walsh accepted in principle a proposal by the Fine Gael spokesman on agriculture, Mr Alan Dukes, that a forum be established to monitor the implementation of the legislation.

Mr Dukes said that when the outbreak was over and the danger passed, hopefully without the Republic being affected, a plan should be drawn up to deal with any future crisis.

Labour spokesman on agriculture Mr Willie Penrose said sheep farmers were suffering significantly and needed advance payments of subsidies.