Results on slaughtered Louth sheep due tomorrow

Test results on whether 138 sheep destroyed in Co Louth last night have foot-and-mouth disease will be available early tomorrow morning.

The samples have been sent to Porbright in Britain for testing and preliminary results are expected early in the morning. It is the first slaughter in the Republic in over a week.

The sheep were on land within the 10 km exclusion zone around the Meigh farm in Nothern Ireland where the only case of the disease on the island was recorded.

Another farm in Co Louth was placed under restriction yesterday bringing the total in the Republic to over 600.

The Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture, Ms Bríd Rodgers, today indicated a gradual easing of livestock movement restrictions in the North.

Ms Rodgers is expected to present a set of adjusted livestock movement guidelines to the Northern Ireland Executive Committee tomorrow at 1.30 p.m.

The 3 km exclusion zone around the Meigh farm will also be lifted to 10 km tomorrow, 15 days after the completion of the disinfectant procedures.

In Dublin today the Taoiseach Mr Ahern urged people to step up their vigilance and use of disinfectants following yesterday’s record number of new foot-and-mouth cases in the UK.

He said while experts said some restrictions may be eased within the country, there could be no relaxation of restrictions concerning other countries.