Disinfectant mats are being used as a precaution againt the disease

However, NI is excluded from those restrictions. Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew said it was good news for the farming industry.

"This is the EU vets agreeing with our scientific analysis that we are not in the foot-and-mouth zone," she said.

"We can continue to trade on the island of Ireland and beyond."

Earlier on Wednesday, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said the message that NI produce was free from foot-and-mouth disease was getting across to the rest of the world.

Martin McGuinness was speaking to reassure local firms which experienced problems exporting to Japan, Germany and south America.

"Whilst there may have been some initial confusion in many different parts of the world over the use of the words 'United Kingdom' and 'Great Britain', I think we are now making it clear to people that the island of Ireland is totally and absolutely free of foot-and-mouth," Mr McGuinness said.

MEP Jim Allister has said any attempt by Germany to refuse NI exports of dairy and pork products, would be an unacceptable breach of EU rules.

Cancelled

He contacted the office of the internal market commissioner, Charlie McCreevy, after shipments of sausage meat to Germany had been cancelled.

Meanwhile, First Minister Ian Paisley has spoken to the Foreign Office about the difficulties encountered by some NI firms shipping meat and dairy products abroad.

A shipment of pork from County Tyrone was stopped from entering Japan and a local dairy company claimed Germany had refused its produce.

Mr Paisley said he would stress that NI had not been affected by the outbreak.

Dale Farm said orders were at risk after what it claimed was Germany's decision to ban all UK milk products.

Difficulties were also being encountered in shipping dairy products to South American markets.

The pork stopped in Japan was sent from Grampian Foods in Cookstown.

Hugh McReynolds, the firm's managing director, said it was not good news for Northern Ireland's pig farmers.

Grampian said it was also experiencing difficulties in shipping its products to the US and Germany.

On Monday, Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew's confirmed that Northern Ireland was to be allowed to continue to export meat and dairy products.

 

Source: BBC News