AS THE national total of confirmed cases of foot and mouth edges inexorably towards the 2,000 mark - there were five new cases yesterday bringing the total to 1,921 - an emergency conference is being held in Warwickshire to discuss the future of British sheep farming.

The conference, organised by the NFU at Warwick University, will debate how to ease the problems of the "forgotten victims" of foot and mouth - farmers whose animals have so far escaped the disease.

"The normal dynamics of the industry that remains has been thrown into chaos by the on-going foot and mouth restrictions," says the union.

The conference will discuss what positive steps can be taken to help Britain return to its position as a major sheep-exporting nation and the fourth largest producer of lamb in the world.

They will also discuss a strategy for lifting the export ban on British meat. Before the ban, the UK exported about 125,000 tonnes of lamb a year, a third of domestic production worth £210 million.