Swedes fear Irish horses could spread foot and mouth

Swedish farmers fear the transport of eight Irish horses could spread foot and mouth disease.

The horses arrived via Britain in a sealed trailer aboard a ferry to Trelleborg, in Sweden.

The Swedish Board of Agriculture said no rules had been broken because horses are not cloven-hooved animals.

Sweden has imposed a national ban on transportation of horses from countries where the disease is prevalent, but that does not include Ireland, agriculture board spokesman Anna Olsson said.

"Foot and mouth has not broken out in Ireland. And on top of that, the horses arrived in a sealed vehicle and they never set foot on British soil," Ms Olsson said.

But Mats Denninger, a spokesman for the Federation of Swedish Farmers, said more caution was warranted.

"Horses often come from farms with mixed animal stocks. And the transport rolled through an area where the disease is not under control," he said.

"The reaction among the farmers are that this transport undermines the credibility of the transport restrictions."