Tests on suspect farms awaited

Farmers in Wales are on alert for signs of the outbreak

Tests are awaited on three farms in Wales suspected of having animals infected with foot-and-mouth disease.

Experts have visited farms at Painscastle and another at Felindre between Knighton and Newtown, checking out stock and exclusion zones have been put in place.

A third farm at Ponthir, near Caerleon, has also been examined.

Tests at an abattoir on Anglesey, north Wales, on Tuesday proved positive.

Farm gates have been locked, animals cannot be moved

All 3,000 livestock on the premises will now have to be slaughtered and burned and an exclusion zone is being put in place.

The Welsh Country Food plant on Anglesey is one of the biggest in Britain, processing around 4,000 animals a day and supplying supermarket chains.

Disinfectant mats have now been laid on roads leading off the island to halt the spread of the disease.

An emergency meeting at Llangefni on Anglesey finished with education chiefs agreeing to keep schools open.

But with fears of the outbreak spreading, the Six Nations match between Wales and Ireland in Cardiff on Saturday has been postponed.

I would ask everyone to be vigilant and report anything suspicious and with your help, we can conquer the disease

Carwyn Jones, Welsh Agriculture Minister

On Monday, an outbreak was confirmed at Llancloudy, Herefordshire, just over a mile from the English-Welsh border and preparations are under way to slaughter hundreds of animals.

Following the positive test results at the Welsh Country Foods abattoir at Gaerwen, Mr Jones revealed plans to give local authorities throughout Wales the power to ban the public from footpaths and other areas of open land.

He told the assembly that officials were "working flat out" to deal with the problem.

Mr Jones also warned farmers not to consider the rash movement of animals for any reason.

"If you break the ban, you are putting the whole industry at risk.

Farmers await news of how far the outbreak has spread

"I would ask everyone to be vigilant and report anything suspicious and with your help, we can conquer the disease."

He also said that if the infection spread to upland sheep herds the situation would become a "disaster".

Ministry of Agriculture vet David Pugh told BBC Wales that a 16km exclusion zone was being drawn up around the plant on Anglesey.

"There will be no movement of animals across the island now, because both bridges come into the affected area," he explained.

He said the slaughter of animals at the plant had begun, and MAFF officials would be liaising with staff to assess compensation.

In Wales, there are concerns that supplies of disinfectant may run out.

Disinfectant demand

Thousands of farmers have been spreading straw soaked in disinfectant around the boundaries of their land, in a bid to create a disease-resistant barrier.

The foot-and-mouth virus under the microscope

Members of the public are being urged to stay away from the countryside in an effort to stop the disease spreading further.

A weekend appeal to stop ramblers in the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia National Park failed to have an impact on walkers.

The outbreak has meant the cancellation of Wednesday's Chepstow Races and the Rally of Wales.

Several agricultural colleges, zoos, and community farms have closed, and even RSPCA inspectors are having to avoid setting foot on farmland.