Northern Ireland's farmers were tonight on tenterhooks again as two new suspected cases of foot-and-mouth were being investigated.
|
Stormont agriculture minister Ms Bríd Rodgers said her officials were concerned about animals on a farm in Ballintoy, Co Antrim, and a herd of cattle in Ardboe, Co Tyrone.
Both cases were linked, she said, to the North's second and third outbreaks of the disease confirmed last week in Cushendall, Co Antrim, and on a dairy farm in Ardboe.
In both cases the animals in question had been or were being slaughtered on a precautionary basis following last week's outbreaks.
Tests on another suspect case identified in Ardboe earlier this week came back negative from the laboratory in Pirbright, Surrey.
There has only been one other confirmed outbreak of foot-and-mouth in Northern Ireland on a farm in Meigh, south Armagh, along the Border.
However, the announcement of a further suspect case will disappoint the North's farming community.
The latest scare emerged after Ms Rodgers warned that a small number of unscrupulous farmers were putting Northern Ireland's farming industry at risk by illegally moving livestock.
After the second Cabinet meeting of the power sharing executive at Stormont this week to consider the foot-and-mouth crisis, Ms Rodgers said there was evidence that the unlicensed movement of farm animals was continuing.
"There have been still unauthorised movements even in the last few days as we understand. If this continues to happen our strategy (for containing the disease) will not work."
Northern Ireland has had three cases of the disease so far.
PA