Officials in Britain are meeting today to discuss the first outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Scotland for nine days.
The Borders emergency co-ordination group has been called together after confirmation of the virus at a Duns farm brought the total number of Scottish cases to 184.
The case is the first in the region for 21 days and was diagnosed at Cot Hill farm on the grounds of a clinical inspection of 60 sheep.
An operation to slaughter 800 sheep and 1,500 lambs began last night and was expected to be completed today. Sheep on two premises adjacent to the farm will also have to be killed.
The case follows confirmation from the British Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries of a confirmed outbreak at Friars Head Farm, Gargrave, between Skipton and Settle.
The British government last night faced accusations of covering up the scale of the foot-and-mouth epidemic as scores of extra vets and army reinforcements were sent to North Yorkshire to deal with the re-emergence of a disease that many thought was disappearing.
PA