France bans Irish livestock

Irish officials have 141 border crossings covered

France has become the first European Union country to impose a ban on livestock imports from the Irish Republic amid fears that the foot-and-mouth disease may be spreading.

The announcement follows the discovery of the disease in Northern Ireland on Thursday.

This is a once-in-a-generation threat

Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern

The Irish Government has deployed thousands of soldiers along the border with Northern Ireland in an attempt to prevent the spread of the outbreak.

More cases are being reported in Britain where the disease broke out.

Europe on alert

The French ministry of agriculture said Friday's decision was a preventative measure made in collaboration with Irish authorities.

Euro reaction

EU: no bans

France: ban on British and Irish products

Germany: culling British animals

Belgium: started cull

Spain: destroyed British pigs, disinfecting vehicles, seizing and destroying meat products

Portugal: disinfecting British visitors

Cyprus: disinfecting British visitors

Russia: banned all British meat products

The ban is over the imports of cows, sheep, goats, pigs and other cloven-footed animals.

Paris will also ban all livestock markets and fairs from Tuesday as a precaution.

It has already banned British products.

The authorities in northern France are also tightening measures, saying there are strong suspicions of the disease in neighbouring Belgium.

Earlier Russia announced a blanket ban on all meat products from Britain.

Reinforced frontier

The Irish Government has deployed more than 400 extra troops to guard cross-border roads.

Prime Minister Bertie Ahern has described the disease as a "once-in-a-generation" threat to Ireland.

But a BBC correspondent, Mike Donkin, says it's difficult to control a border about 400km (250 miles) long.

Our correspondent adds that smuggling across the border has been commonplace.

Irish police say they were relying on the honesty of people to tell them if they had been on a farm so that appropriate measures could be taken.

Continental Europe

In Britain, new cases are expected to emerge next week as animals incubating the disease develop symptoms.

But correspondents say if reports continue beyond that period it would indicate that the situation is completely out of control.

Despite this, the European Union has said there is no need to proceed to a mass vaccination programme.

A spokesman said this would be the "very, very last step to take".

German officials have disinfected two sites

Elsewhere, Germany has ordered the immediate destruction of all sheep and goats imported from the UK in the last four weeks.

France is planning to slaughter 50,000 sheep that have either been imported from the UK or come into contact with British animals.

Belgium started its cull of livestock on Thursday.

Spain has banned all livestock fairs and incinerated hundreds of British pigs.

It has also issued guidelines on cleaning and disinfecting of vehicles and the confiscation and destruction of food and waste from the UK.

The Austrian Government has advised its nationals to avoid travelling to Britain "unless absolutely necessary".

And Portugal has warned British football fans that they will be disinfected when they arrive in Porto early next week for a fixture.

In Cyprus, visitors from Britain are also being disinfected as they arrive.