The company which owns Malton Bacon Factory lost £3.5 million of business during February and March, principally because of the foot and mouth crisis.

And another North Yorkshire farm has fallen victim to the disease, bringing the total number of cases in the county so far to ten.

Uniq, which employs 2,500 people at the bacon factory, says the crisis has brought its £30 million a year export programme, already affected by last year's swine fever outbreak, to a halt.

The firm is blaming most of the £3.5 million losses on the disease and the closure of slaughter lines for ten days at the start of the crisis.

The fresh case was confirmed at High Whinholme Farm in Danby Wiske, near Northallerton. It is the third case in the Danby Wiske area.Farmer Fred Kirby, who spotted signs of the disease in his sheep and alerted MAFF independently, told the Evening Press today: "It has happened and whatever we do or say that will still be the case. I don't want to say anything else."

Slaughtering of the farm's 1,000 pigs and 670 sheep began yesterday afternoon and was completed by 10.30pm.

National Farmers' Union spokesman Rob Simpson said the farm was "about a mile, as the crow flies" from the nearest farm previously known to be infected.

Today, MAFF checks had started on the four farms sharing borders with High Whinholme.

Under current policy, any animals on those farms are due to be slaughtered as well, but the Ministry has not yet decided how the corpses will be disposed of.

"I spoke to Mr Kirby briefly earlier yesterday and, as you can imagine, he was in a state of considerable shock," said Mr Simpson.

"If there is one thing to be thankful for, it is that the disease was in the sheep and didn't seem to have made its way into the pigs." He said pigs shed far more of the virus into the atmosphere.

* A prayer vigil was being held today at the Central Methodist Church in St Saviourgate, York, for people suffering through the foot and mouth crisis. Worshippers attending the nine-hour vigil, which was starting at noon with a short opening service, were being asked to pray for the nation and all who are suffering, and for an end to the disease.

Updated: 11:01 Friday, April 06, 2001