The North's Agriculture Minister, Ms Brid Rodgers, has announced she would write to every sheep farmer in Northern Ireland asking them about illegal movements of animals.
Appearing before the Assembly's Agriculture Committee to answer questions on her handling of the crisis, Ms Rodgers said there was mounting speculation that the latest outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease had been caused by the illegal transportation of animals rather than by an airborne virus.
The Minister confirmed that vets from private practices would be brought in to assist officials with testing procedures. Giving a grim assessment of the chances of further cases, she said the level of resources to combat the disease would depend on whether it reached epidemic proportions.
"I have been trying to drive home the message that responsibility for disease control rests primarily with the farmers. Every farmer, wherever he lives in Northern Ireland, must assume that there is infected livestock next door . . . We must be prepared for further disease outbreaks in Northern Ireland and the number will dictate the scale of the resource problems we face in dealing with them," she added.
Meanwhile, the second stage of the cull of animals near Cushendall, Co Antrim, got under way yesterday. Up to 5,000 sheep inside the three km exclusion zone around the farm were being slaughtered, a process which is expected to take several days.
The case was confirmed on Sunday, only two days after the North's second outbreak in Ardboe, Co Tyrone. The first case was on a farm in Meigh, Co Armagh, at the end of February.
The Department of Agriculture is currently looking for a suitable burial site for the animal carcasses. Ms Rodgers said she preferred to keep vaccination as a "weapon of last resort".
The Agriculture Committee's chairman, the DUP leader Rev Ian Paisley, expressed his concern that restrictions on the Ardboe farm had been relaxed after the preliminary tests proved negative. "Did this contribute in any way to the outbreaks? Can you assure us that the decision to end a precautionary cull wasn't premature?" he asked. Ms Rodgers denied that controls had been relaxed before the results of more conclusive tests were known. The third and final results from Ardboe were expected last night.
Responding to a call by the committee's vice-chairman, the UUP's Mr George Savage, for her Department to tighten controls on vehicles coming from the Republic, the Minister said the first line of protection was every single farm gate.
A Sinn Fein MLA, Mr Francie Molloy, called on the Department of Agriculture to provide more support for farmers in Co Tyrone. He stressed that both farmers and local businesses needed more information on how to control the disease, on compensation measures and trauma counselling.
Meanwhile, local politicians have expressed fears that the disease could be spread further by the transportation of carcasses after the Department decided to transport animals culled in Co Tyrone to a rendering plant in Lisburn, Co Antrim.
At least three livestock dealers in Northern Ireland are believed to be under investigation concerning the illegal movement of animals, it emerged last night.
It is understood that 15,000 animals were imported into the North between January 1st and February 21st, before rigorous controls were put in place.