Foot and Mouth spreads to Europe
The scare over Foot and Mouth Disease is spreading to continental Europe. A suspected case has been found on a pig farm in Belgium and in France a farm near Lyon is under quarantine.
Here the road over Mount Leinster has been closed as an investigation by the Department of Agriculture gets underway on a local farm.
Meanwhile, a farm in Bawnskeagh, near Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, remains under investigation.
So far investigations here have focused on animals which are believed to have been imported from Britain.
Once again there has been an urgent appeal to hill walkers to stay away from the countryside while the scare continues.
Yesterday, despite the constant appeals, large crowds of hill walkers took to the Dublin and Wicklow Mountains.
It is feared that anyone venturing into the countryside could carry the disease through infected footwear or clothing.
