The North's Agriculture Minister, Ms Brid Rodgers, has warned that £120 million sterling could be wiped off Northern Ireland's agri-food sector if the foot-and-mouth crisis continued.
During Agriculture Minister's Question Time, Ms Rodgers outlined the stark consequences of fresh outbreaks in the North. She also announced a second "welfare slaughter scheme" could be launched to help farmers in financial difficulty.
Asked by an SDLP MLA for Newry and Armagh, Mr John Fee, what impact she felt the disease had on rural communities, the Minister said damage to the agri-food industry would be limited if foot-and-mouth cases in the North remained at four.
She added, however: "If the disease were to escalate here the impact could be extremely serious, with estimated costs to the agri-food sector from a prolonged and widespread outbreak potentially rising to over £120 million over a 12-month period."
Mr Fee also called on Ms Rodgers to reconsider a formalised welfare slaughter scheme to help alleviate the hardship of paying the costs of the private veterinary practitioners.
Ms Rodgers pointed out that a scheme for pigs caught up in the movement restrictions in south Armagh was already under way, adding: "Evidence is emerging of the need for another one, but I need to be satisfied that it's justified on animal welfare as opposed to purely commercial grounds."
In advance of two major Assembly debates on the crisis, the chairmen of the Finance and the Trade and Investment committees, Sinn Fein's Mr Francie Molloy and Mr Pat Doherty, tabled a motion calling for a hardship relief package for farming and tourism businesses hit by the outbreak.
The chairman of the Agriculture Committee, the Rev Ian Paisley, also put down a motion urging Ms Rodgers and other ministers to act to alleviate the hardship facing farmers.
Earlier in the plenary session Ms Rodgers was urged to call in cross-departmental help to deal with river pollution as thousands of gallons of disinfectant used to combat foot-and-mouth was reportedly pouring into the waterways.
She said she was aware of the problem but had been assured by the waterways agency that it was taking all necessary precautions. "I would imagine being an agency whose main purpose is conservation and protection of the fishing environment that they would certainly be taking precautions to ensure that nothing is done to damage the fish stocks," she added.
Meanwhile, the Northern Secretary, Dr John Reid, has held his first official meeting with the First and Deputy First Ministers on their efforts to combat foot-and-mouth. The meeting was held under the terms of a concordat agreed between the Stormont Executive and the Northern Ireland Office enabling the devolved administration to raise and discuss matters of mutual concern.