Middlewood Farm in Bwlch is the focus of the investigation Disease outbreak shocks community Farmer: 'I'm the victim'

An outbreak of the world's most damaging potato disease in mid Wales is going to cost the farm involved �400,000.

The battle to stop the ring rot spreading on Middlewood farm in Bwlch means the destruction of 1,500 tons of seed potatoes.

Government restrictions now ban any movement of potatoes on John Morgan's farm, and three other farms - one in Wales and two in the Scilly Isles - which had all taken delivery of seed potatoes from the Middlewood Farm over the last few weeks.

Scientists will return to the farm on Monday to test more than 80,000 samples of the potatoes.

Only a small proportion is expected to show any sign of infection.

The whole crop will then be destroyed at a cost to farmer John Morgan and his family of �400,000.

It will then be buried or sent to a landfill site.

Defra officials believe the outbreak is under control, and that it will be contained and eradicated.

Experts are also talking to Spanish authorities about two consignments exported to the Canary Islands

Although ring rot poses no risk to human health, farmers leaders in Wales had said the news is a "massive blow" to the industry.

Wales' Potato Industry 95 registered growers Produces 86,000 tonnes Worth �6.5m to economy Total area farmed 2,000 hectares Q&A: Potato ring rot

Annual losses to US potato farmers caused by ring rot have been as high as 50%.

Farmers are also worried about the effect on the seed market if the UK loses its disease-free status.

Lisa Francis, Welsh Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales, is asking the Environment Minister, Carwyn Jones, to make an emergency statement to the Assembly on the outbreak.

She said the testing period to determine whether this disease has spread "can take up to eight weeks, it is vital that work on this starts now so that the authorities do their best to contain the disease."

She added: "Defra cannot afford to be complacent in any way on this issue. They also need to establish an investigation to determine how this disease got into the country in the first place".