THE farming industry drew a collective sigh of relief yesterday as fears of a new outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease receded.

Early tests on samples taken from two suspected sheep on the North York Moors proved negative, although it will be the weekend before the experts can be 100 per cent sure.

The village of Hawnby, north-east of Thirsk, found itself at the centre of the scare when sheep on St Agnes Farm, run by Robin Garbutt, 48, were found to have lesions.

They were among 400 brought in on the 400-acre farm to replace 1,500 culled last year.

Mr Garbutt said: "It was very worrying when the vets picked up on the lesions in the mouths of these sheep.

"I am just very, very relieved to find that the initial results are negative.

"We are not out of the woods at all, but it would be rare for a test to start out negative and then become positive later."

He added: "If there is one good thing to come from this, it shows that the vets are really on top of their job.

"If it had been foot and mouth they would have been on to it straight away, which is very encouraging."

Other sheep on the farm and nearby Mount Pleasant Farm, which Mr Garbutt also runs, have been given the all-clear.

The vice-chairman of the York County branch of the NFU, Rosey Dunn, said: "Obviously it's great news. I'm absolutely delighted for the local area - so far so good.

"We shall have to wait for the final results but I am sure they will confirm what we expected and that's a negative. We can all breathe a huge sigh of relief."

* Downing Street last night denied rumours the foot-and-mouth scare was leaked to the media to keep the controversy over Transport Secretary Stephen Byers off the front pages.

The Prime Minister's spokesman said: "It is worse than insulting to suggest we would deliberately leak it."