British farmers were facing "a nightmare scenario" last night after a seventh outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease - this time at a Devon farm which exports to Europe - and a suspected outbreak in north Wales.
The Agriculture Minister, Mr Nick Brown, said the European Commission had been notified of the risk that infected sheep might have been exported from the farm at Highampton, northwest of Okehampton, in Devon.
However, the chief veterinary officer, Mr Jim Scudmore - while "reasonably certain" that the sheep-dealing farmer had been exporting to Europe - said there would have been no exports since the beginning of the EU ban at the start of the outbreak last week.
Mr Brown will make a statement to MPs in the Commons today, before travelling to Brussels to brief EU ministers.
Yesterday the Minister said Mr Scudmore's advice remained that there was no need for mass slaughter or vaccination of livestock.
However after confirmation of the Devon outbreak, Mr Scudmore said the spread of the infection was alarming: "It is a very worrying situation and very serious. We have got to investigate the farm in Devon and try to find out where it has come from to see if there are any links with the other outbreaks, and also check where it might have gone to."
All 13 of the Devon farmer's premises - 11 in Devon and two in Cornwall - were under restriction last night. Some 1,500 sheep at the Highampton farm were awaiting inspection, after the initial discovery of the disease among cattle. Mr Scudmore said the Highampton farmer travelled widely in Britain, particularly in Cumbria.
Mr Scudmore confirmed the slaughter of 450 cattle, 1300 pigs and 250 sheep at the six sites where the disease had previously been confirmed. By yesterday, restrictions had been placed on 23 sites, of which seven were confirmed infected, 10 inspected but found to be disease free, with a further six still under inspection.
Following yesterday's Devon outbreak, Mr Ian Johnson, the regional spokesman for the National Union of Farmers, said: "This is potentially a nightmare scenario for the southwest, which is Britain's biggest livestock area. In good times it would be a disaster but in times like these it is a catastrophe."