The announcement by the Department of Agriculture that it would carry out a further review of compensation payments to farmers whose flocks were culled during the foot-and-mouth outbreak has been given a cautious welcome by the Cooley Compensation Campaign in Co Louth.
The group has been campaigning for an independent review and adequate compensation for the farmers for the last 10 weeks.
Campaign spokesman Mr John Elmore, a sheep farmer from Omeath, said last night the group welcomed the Department's announcement.
The Disease of Animals Act provides for independent arbitration and for farmers to have an independent valuer if they are unhappy with the price set by the Department's valuer.
Under the review, a group chaired by a Teagasc representative and including representatives from the Departments of Finance and Agriculture, Food and Rural Development will consider representations made by individuals or representative organisations.
The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, said the review was established largely in response to approaches made by local groups and that it was intended the findings would be binding on all parties.
The Cooley Compensation Campaign is still considering the option of legal action. Solicitors for the group have written to the Department of Agriculture.
Meanwhile, the first stage of a massive foot-and-mouth screening operation on 12,000 sheep in the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales came to an end last night.
A total of 6,000 sheep, half of the huge free-roaming flock of 12,000, were rounded up for testing to check if the disease has spread to the hills.
A series of recent outbreaks near the villages of Crickhowell and Libanus, Powys, took the total number of confirmed cases in Wales to 106.
The second phase of the mass screening will take place next Saturday after the remaining 6,000 sheep have been rounded up, a Welsh Assembly spokesman said.