Farmers in Ireland have been urged to be vigilant about a new disease known as the Schmallenberg virus, which is fatal to lambs and can also affect cattle.
The virus arrived in Britain from the continent, but there have been no cases in Ireland.
The main lambing season has just started in Ireland and 3m lambs are expected to be born over the next two months.
However, farmers are now facing a major concern from the threat of the Schmallenberg virus.
It causes lambs to be born dead or with serious deformities which result in death.
The virus produces fever, diarrhoea and loss of milk production in adult cattle, though the animals recover after a few days.
Over 70 farms in England and 1,000 farms in Europe have reported cases since the first signs of the virus were witnessed in the German town of Schmallenberg last summer.
It is thought the virus is spread by midges.
Irish Farmers' Association leader John Bryan called for bio-security to be stepped up a ports and airports.
The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association has urged farmers to report anything unusual to their vet and to be careful about importing livestock.
ICSA President Gabriel Gilmartin said that farmers need to think "long and hard" about importing any livestock at this time until a fuller picture emerges on the newly discovered virus.
