FARMERS today moved to reassure consumers as fears of a fresh BSE scare were raised by new research.

Scientists have warned that the disease may jump from one species to another more easily than was previously supposed without showing any symptoms.

But spokesmen for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Department of Health, said safeguards were already in place to counter the possibility of "subclinical" forms of the disease - where stricken animals appeared healthy.

And farmers in North and East Yorkshire said adequate safeguards were in place in UK farms to prevent animals catching the disease from their feed.

The warning came from scientists led by world renowned expert Professor John Collinge.

In a paper, they said not only cattle, but sheep, pigs and poultry exposed to BSE via animal feed may have developed a "subclinical" form of the disease which remained symptom-free and hidden.

Pig farmer John Rowbottom, from Melbourne, near Pocklington, said: "This kind of research is absolutely essential but this is a very abstract form of experimentation at the moment."

He said even if the disease could be passed without symptoms showing, this would not happen on British pig farms, so customers had nothing to fear.

"Pigs haven't been fed on meat or bonemeal for many years now."

Chris Roach, a turkey farmer, from Moor Monkton, said: "There is no evidence at all that BSE could get into poultry and we don't feed any meat or bonemeal from other poultry or any other species - it's illegal.

"The lifespan of poultry isn't long enough - it's only up to 18 to 20 weeks. The poultry industry has carried out an enormous amount of work and there have been no signs of BSE."

Helen Swiers, chairwoman of York County National Farmers' Union, a dairy and sheep farmer, said: "I hope customers don't panic about this. We've had so many of these scares and there are good safeguards in place.

"All are sheep have their heads and spinal cords removed and they are not fed on meat or bonemeal by law. They're out at grass the whole time. There are good safeguards in place and they should be adequate."

Members of the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) are to consider the findings at their next meeting on September 29.