Preliminary foot-and-mouth tests negative

The North’s Minister for Agriculture, Brid Rogers, said preliminary tests on two hot suspects of foot-and-mouth in Counties Antrim and Tyrone have proved negative but animals are still being killed there as a precaution.

She also said she had evidence of livestock being moved illegally which was a major threat to attempt to restrict the spread of the disease.

Mrs Rodgers said it had become clear that some farmers believe the foot-and- mouth problem is someone else's.

She was continuing to receive daily reports of farmers moving animals without licence.

Every farmer, wherever he lives, must assume, she said, that there are infected livestock next door.