Brid Rodgers: More hopeful of finding illegally-traded sheep

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster on Tuesday afternoon, Mrs Rodgers was also more positive about department efforts to trace about 60 sheep which were feared to have been traded illegally.

On Monday, Mrs Rodgers said that more sheep had been imported from the Cumbrian market from which the Meigh sheep came, than was first thought.

She said "anecdotal evidence" suggested that the missing sheep had been brought somewhere in Northern Ireland or into the Republic of Ireland and that those under suspicion were not co-operating with the department.

But on Tuesday she said: "Since that initial information the investigators and vets have made progress and I am reasonably satisfied we are getting to the bottom of it.

"But I am still asking for people to give any scrap of information to me, the vets or the police. We need to have certainty about where every single animal movement was."

It is possible that up to five people may know something about the sheep.

One of those, John Walsh, told an Irish radio station on Tuesday that he could give "100% accountability for the sheep" if he and others were given immunity from prosecution.

Balmoral Show cancelled

The latest casualty of the foot-and-mouth outbreak is the postponement of Northern Ireland's main agricultural show.

The Balmoral Show was to have been held in Belfast in mid-May, but it has now been put off until August.

On Tuesday morning Prime Minister Tony Blair held a series of talks with farmers' leaders about the crisis.

Speaking after his meeting with Mr Blair Ulster Farmers' Union President, Douglas Rowe said he was satisfied that Mr Blair was determined to eradicate the disease.

He added: "We would call on the public to be patient for a bit longer and for farmers to maintain their fortress farming."

Scotland route

Meanwhile, in Britain, the government has announced that a task force will work on minimising the effect the crisis on the rural community.

However, compensation is only so far being offered to farmers.

The United States and Canada have announced a ban on all meat imports from the European Union because of the foot and mouth crisis.

The move followed confirmation of a case in north-west France - the first in mainland Europe.

In Scotland new measures to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth are to be put in place on the main route to Northern Ireland for Stranraer and Cairnryan ferry passengers.

Dumfries and Galloway Council is to put down disinfectant on many roads through an area with large concentrations of infected farms by Wednesday.

In the Republic of Ireland, which has so far had no confirmed cases, there are 712 farms under restrictions as a precaution.

Border controls

Irish Agriculture Minister Joe Walsh said the border controls and import ban would remain in place, despite no further outbreaks in Northern Ireland.

He said, however, that his department was lifting an exclusion zone in north Monaghan set up in response to the suspected outbreak in Augher.

Mr Walsh also said he had been assured by the Northern Ireland and Irish police that no animals have been smuggled across the border since the measures introduced after the Meigh outbreak.

The Department of Agriculture can be contacted on its help line numbers on 02890 524279 or 02890 524590 between 0830 - 2100 GMT.