The total number of confirmed cases of the disease UK-wide stood at 81 on Wednesday.

Three of the cases were in Wales - one at the Welsh Country Foods abattoir at Gaerwen on Anglesey and others at farms in Painscastle and Knighton in Powys.

Meanwhile, with much of the countryside still out of bounds there are fears that more visitor revenue could be lost if the outbreak spreads further.

Welsh Assembly economic development minister Mike German has appealed to tourists not to abandon Wales because of the outbreak.

Speaking at a tourism summit in London, he said that visitors were still welcome but they were still being urged to comply with current restrictions.

Wales's three national parks - Brecon Beacons, Snowdonia and Pembrokeshire - remains closed along with countless other rural attractions.

Mike German AM; Appeal to tourists

Government vets believe the foot- and-mouth outbreak should peak within the next few days before starting to decline.

Abattoirs are continuing to slaughter livestock after a 10 day standstill was relaxed on Tuesday.

But in a bid to avert a meat shortage, thousands of cattle and lambs will be processed as farmers ease overcrowding and the meat should reach the shops by the Friday.

Meanwhile, farmers' leaders are appealing to the government to relax rules on animal movement so pregnant ewes can be moved to suitable lambing sites.

Shops have witnessed record sales of meat

Sheep farmers have said there is a risk of ewes and their lambs dying unless they can be moved to safety.

On Budget day, farmers' leaders have criticised Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown for failing to help their ailing industry.

The FUW's director of business development Emyr James said Mr Brown should have taken the opportunity to give the depressed farming industry a long-awaited boost.

"Gordon Brown promised nothing new for farming," he said.

"He merely recycled money that is already in the system."

The FUW had called on the chancellor to increase the Ministry of Agriculture's budget to compensate farmers for consequential losses as a result of foot and mouth.

But the only direct reference Mr Brown made to farming was to confirm that the government was taking steps to advance payment of the �150m EU agri-compensation money.

The news had already been announced and was unconnected with foot-and-mouth, Mr James said.

FUW president Hugh Richards said union members had told Mr Brown what they wanted to see in the budget and that it must not exacerbate the "desperate situation".

"Welsh farmers have seen their incomes disappear overnight because of the animal movement ban brought in to contain the disease," he said.