I continue to receive daily reports of farmers moving livestock without licences. Every farmer, no matter where he lives in Northern Ireland, must assume there are infected livestock next door. The minister appealed to farmers not to allow cattle and sheep to mix. She said any farmer who keeps both must inspect the cattle first. There are fears that there have been infected sheep in Northern Ireland for some time.
Sheep can only show symptoms of the disease for a short time, making it harder to identify.
A support group has been set up to help farmers and the Ardboe community through the crisis. Group chairman Canon Harry Moore said people were despondent but resilient and would bounce back. It is a problem at the moment - a problem that not only have repercussions for the farming industry, but for the other industries connected to it. But it is something that we will get over. Tourism affected The outbreak in Cushendall is already taking its toll on tourism in the area.