Britain:Farm organisations here and in Britain have expressed concern at the "probable" new leak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) at the Merial animal health facility in Pirbright, Surrey.
This facility was at the centre of the outbreak in August which led to the slaughter of hundreds of animals, a ban on UK livestock and meat exports and national controls on animal movements.
Scientists there yesterday said they believed the virus might not have escaped into the wider environment.
Environment minister Hilary Benn said officials at the Merial facility believed there had been a "probable" unintended release of live FMD virus into a contained drainage system at the facility.
It was first discovered on November 19th and operations at Merial stopped immediately. Government inspectors visited the site on Wednesday. "The inspection team judge that while it is possible that live FMD virus had entered the contained drainage system, from their discussions and the evidence gathered, they are assured that live virus has not been released to the environment," Mr Benn said.
Britain's National Farmers' Union said it was extremely concerned at the leak but it had been assured by the department for environment, food and rural affairs the secondary contamination system had worked effectively.
IFA president Pádraig Walshe said Irish farmers would be concerned about the potential risk to the UK and European livestock sector from such an incident.
The Irish Cattle and Sheepfarmers' Association president, Malcolm Thompson, expressed his "horror" at the latest lapse of biosecurity at the Pirbright laboratories.