British health experts in the area worst hit by foot-and-mouth have called a halt to the use of pyres to burn thousands of animals.
The move comes amid fears the smoke might affect the health of people living downwind.
The British Ministry of Agriculture (MAFF) has agreed to stop incineration until a national assessment of the health risks is completed.
Meanwhile the prospects of a swift move to vaccination in the crisis appeared to be receding.
Farmers' leaders say it may be a fortnight before they are ready to offer their support for vaccinations.
The British government wants to inoculate hundreds of thousands of cattle in Cumbria and possibly Devon before they are put out to pasture over the next few weeks.
But after lengthy talks with government scientists, National Farmers' Union leader Mr Ben Gill said there were still "major issues" of disagreement.
The food industry is also concerned about vaccination. it says it may affect consumer perceptions of British produce and invite further export restrictions.
A spokesman for the Food and Drink Federation said: "Vaccination should be deployed only as the last resort,if government experts believe it to be the only way to get the disease quickly under control."
Nestlé, which buys much of the milk produced in Cumbria for export as milk powder, pledged its support to local farmers but said a vaccination policy would almost certainly harm the company.
Meanwhile UK farmers' leaders today claimed they were on the verge of persuading ministers to ditch the proposed vaccination scheme.
The NFU made its claim as its president Mr Ben Gill entered a third day of talks with the British government's chief scientist in London.
The union's policy director Mr Martin Haworth predicted Ministers would be persuaded to abandon their much-publicised vaccination policy.
PA