A fourth case of bluetongue - the midge-borne virus - has been confirmed on a farm near Ipswich, officials at Defra said today.

By MICHAEL POLLITT

Rural affairs editor

A fourth case of bluetongue - the midge-borne virus - has been confirmed on a farm near Ipswich, officials at Defra said today.

No further details have been released at this stage.

A Defra official said that the virus found in a Holstein cow on a farm at Lound, Lowestoft, was the same strain BTV 8 as the first two cases at Baylham Rare Breeds Farm, at Coddenham, six-miles north west of Ipswich.

This same strain has been found in almost 4,000 cases in outbreaks spread across Belgium, northern France, Holland and Germany.

Defra also said that a three km temporary control zone has been placed as a precaution following a suspected case of foot-and-mouth disease around a farm near Maidenhead, Berkshire - inside the existing zone linked with the Pirbright and Egham cases.

Farming Minister Lord Rooker was meeting officials and representatives of the National Farmers' Union at the Newmarket regional office this afternoon.

He was informed of the last confirmed case before making a visit to Defra's Animal Health offices at Bury St Edmunds.

The latest bluetongue case was detected on a third farm near Ipswich in a cow, which will be slaughtered.

Defra said that ere was not enough evidence to confirm an active outbreak of bluetonue in Britain. It could be several weeks before scientists have conclusive evidence that the diease is circulating in the UK.