The Northern Ireland Minister of Agriculture Mrs Brid Rodgers met
bank officials today to seek assurances they would stand by theirfarming customers during the crisis.
She then travelled across the border for a meeting with the Ministerfor Agriculture in the Republic Mr Joe Walsh to review joint actionto keep both sides of the border clear of the disease. A pressconference will be held this afternoon.
Farmers' leaders in Northern Ireland have called for swift payment ofcompensation for farmers who have had animals slaughtered because ofthe foot and mouth outbreak.
The Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) said many farmers had been innocentlyinvolved in the crisis and had their animals slaughtered as aprecautionary measure because they were in close proximity to theSouth Armagh farm where the single outbreak was confirmed.
UFU president Mr Douglas Rowe said losing farm animals was verytraumatic and the union was ``very concerned for the well-being ofthe farmers directly caught up in the crisis''.
He said it was ``essential that full compensation for the value ofanimals which these farmers have lost, is paid to them as soon aspossible''.
Two thousand five hundred livestock have been slaughtered in NorthernIreland to date - 1,000 sheep, 950 pigs and 550 cattle.
Meanwhile, a royal visit to Northern Ireland has been called offbecause of the foot-and-mouth crisis, it was announced today.
The Duke of York was due to travel on Friday but the Northern IrelandOffice said the visit had been cancelled on advice from the Britishgovernment.
The Duke intended to visit several locations during the first publicroyal visit of the year but ministers were concerned large numbers ofpeople gathering could endanger the so-far successful efforts toprevent the spread of foot-and-mouth beyond one case in SouthArmagh.
PA