A question mark hangs over the Easter celebrations, North and South, as a new "hot suspect" foot-and-mouth disease case was being investigated in Ardboe, Co Tyrone, last night.
Samples from heifers at a pedigree dairy farm near Cookstown, were being examined overnight in Pirbright International Laboratory in London and should yield preliminary results today. Eighty per cent of the 20 suspect animals have blisters on their feet and mouths - classic symptoms of the disease.
The North's Agriculture Minister, Mrs Brid Rodgers, said that while she was still hopeful that the case might turn out to be negative "at this point in time we must expect the worst".
The unexpected announcement by the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture and Rural Development came as the industry in the North was getting back on its feet having been locked out of international markets until a week ago, 30 days after the Meigh, Co Armagh, case, the island's first foot-and-mouth case.
The implications for the rest of the island were being examined by Department of Agriculture and Rural Development officials in Dublin last night as a wide range of sporting and cultural activities are due to resume this weekend, the beginning of the main tourism season.
However, on April 4th last, when Mr Walsh announced the resumption of horse racing and other activities, he said "the relaxation of restrictions in the areas in question is strictly subject to there being in the interim no further confirmed cases of foot-and-mouth disease on the island of Ireland".
He added that they were also subject to the relevant protocols being agreed with the expert group which has been advising him on the controls necessary to prevent the spread of the disease in the country.
Reminded of this yesterday, Mr Walsh said he would have to await the outcome of the test results. It would not be fair, he said, to speculate as one other "hot suspect" case in the North had turned out not to be a case at all.
It was learned last night from Department sources that should there be a fresh outbreak in the North, the Government would be reluctant to ban horse racing but would certainly ban the import of horses for breeding purposes from the North.
Despite the shadow of a potential problem in the North, the Minister announced that the postponed St Patrick's celebrations would be held in Dublin on the weekend of May 18th to 20th. He also said that greyhound racing could resume from April 19th and showjumping from April 28th.
The Department also announced that tests taken from two lambs at a local authority abattoir in Bray, Co Wicklow, on Tuesday were negative and that all samples taken from the Irish Country Meats Plant, Navan, Co Meath, had been cleared.