Preliminary tests on samples taken from pigs at a meat plant in Co Carlow have shown no evidence of the foot-and-mouth virus.
The negative results were released this morning from Purbright laboratories near London.
Samples were sent to the laboratory on Friday after a veterinarian on duty at the plant in Ballon near Tullow detected symptoms.
Minister for Agriculture and Food, Ms Coughlan, today welcomed the preliminary results.
She said: "The remaining stages of the test process will be completed over the next two days during which the plant and farm (from which the animals came) will remain restricted on a purely precautionary basis and in line with standard practice employed by the Department of Agriculture."
The Department of Agriculture had emergency plans in place in the event of a confirmed case of foot and mouth.
This would have led to severe restrictions on the movement of people and animals to prevent the spread of the disease. In March 2001, severe restrictions were imposed after a single case of foot and mouth disease was discovered in the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth.
A ban on angling was imposed and the St Patrick's Day parade in Dublin was cancelled, along with Ireland's Six Nations rugby match against England. The World Organisation for Animal Health restored the State's foot and mouth free status in September 2001.