'No early lifting' of livestock ban

A policeman outside Banks Farm in Aberdeenshire

Reports that the ban on the movement of livestock in Scotland could be lifted before the rest of the UK have been dismissed by Scottish Rural Affairs Minister Ross Finnie.

A seven-day ban on the movement of livestock, imposed in Scotland as part of UK-wide restrictions prompted by the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease south of the border, expires on Friday.

Mr Finnie said: "I'm absolutely four-square with the farming industry that our first absolute priority is to contain and eradicate this outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

"That is our number one priority and we won't shift from that."

He said that he wanted to move quickly to remove the ban but that would not be before Friday.

Mr Finnie: Ban will remain

Mr Finnie said that if Scotland remained free from confirmed cases and the advice of the chief veterinary officer was in favour of removing the ban, then he would take action.

He added that care must be taken because suspect cases in Northumberland and in Berwick were very close to the Scottish Border.

The agriculture minister was responding to reports in the Scotland on Sunday newspaper that the executive had secured an agreement from the UK government allowing it to relax the transport ban on a regional basis.

Mr Finnie said he welcomed the more "positive" news in relation to the farm near Fyvie in Aberdeenshire which has been the subject of tests for signs of the infection, but concerns remain until a final all-clear was given.

Farmers across Scotland have been told they will have to wait until Tuesday to learn if foot-and-mouth disease has crossed the Border.

Jim Walker: Fingers crossed

Preliminary tests at the Banks Farm, where the State Veterinary Service has been taking samples have not so far uncovered any cases of the infection, raising hopes that it has escaped the outbreak.

The farm - owned by the Grampian Country Food Group - had been sealed off on Friday as samples were taken for laboratory analysis after several young animals were detected as lame.

National Farmers Union Scotland president Jim Walker said farmers would have their fingers crossed that the second test also proved negative.

And he added that the export ban which was introduced after the outbreak came to light in England last week was costing Scotland £2m a week.

Preliminary tests at an Aberdeenshire farm show no trace of disease

The Westminster Government has confirmed that a pig farm in Heddon-on-the-Wall, Northumberland, is the source of the outbreak.

But the restriction is designed to enable the State Veterinary Service to undertake checks of vehicle movements to prevent any further spread of the disease.

Mr Finnie said that the Scottish order would stop all movement of susceptible animals - mainly pigs, cattle, sheep and goats.

Foot-and-mouth is highly contagious and can travel through the air or via contact between animals, vehicles or pens which have held infected animals.