There are "very serious" consequences for the agri-community in Northern Ireland if bluetongue virus gets hold, the N.I.agriculture minister has said.
Spread by midges, bluetongue (BTV-3) poses no threat to the public or food safety but can affect cloven-hoofed animals like sheep and cattle.
The Department of Agriculture, Environment Rural Affairs (Daera) said surveillance at an abattoir indicated the presence of the disease in two cows from a farm near Bangor, County Down.
