Protests stop work on mass livestock grave in North

Work on a burial pit for the carcasses of slaughtered animals in south Armagh has been stopped after protests by local people.

The site of the grave in Slieve Gullion forest park is a designated area of natural beauty and local farmers are calling for the carcasses to be rendered instead.

A delegation of south Armagh farmers is to meet Northern Agriculture Minister Brid Rodgers at Stormont this afternoon.

Spokesman Paddy Tiernan said over a million pounds had been spent protecting the countryside in the area and said that if farmers are to be deprived of their flocks, at least the local tourist potential should be left intact.