The Minister for Agriculture has today called the State's first case of foot-and-mouth a "national emergency".
Mr Joe Walsh said the outbreak in Louth was a "major disappointment" but added that because the outbreak was within the exclusion zone established in the wake of the Armagh farm discovery, there was hope the disease could be contained.
He said there would be an "aggressive and strategic slaughter" policy undertaken in the Louth region and that all the livestock would be destroyed.
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Speaking at a press conference in Dublin, Mr Walsh said the Government had every sympathy with the farm-owner Mr Michael Rice who he insisted had been extremely co-operative at all times.
Around 3,000 sheep and 1,000 cattle on the farm are to be destroyed. The farm is divided over three different areas including a section of land on the Cooley Mountains.
Mr Walsh said the Government would "embark on a diplomatic initiative" and would call on the European Union to continue to accept animal products from outside the exclusion zone in Co Louth.
He emphasised that Ireland's "exceptionally tight controls" on moving animals would continue, adding there had been "remarkable national solidarity" on the matter. This, he urged, needed to be continued.
Minister Walsh also expressed concerned for those in the "front line" of agri-business and tourism.
He said the task force set up to monitor the crisis would today re-evaluate the relaxed controls on public events implemented last week.
Fine Gael's agriculture spokesman Mr Alan Dukes pledged the help of his party in dealing with the crisis.
He said Fine Gael would give its "unquestioning support" but would "expose any deficiencies" in the Government's handling of the situation.
Mr Dukes also said the initial priority should be to contain the outbreak in Louth, but he said "we need to know as quickly as we can how it has spread within that region".