THE foot-and-mouth outbreak was today threatening to tear up the sporting calender as horse racing was suspended for a week and Saturday's Ireland vs Wales Six Nations rugby game was postponed.

The Jockey Club called off all racing from today until March 7 at the earliest in a decision which cast doubt on next month's Cheltenham Festival.

The Irish Rugby Football Union last night accepted a request from the Irish government to postpone Saturday's Six Nations Championship game until late April or May amid efforts to keep the disease out of the country.

The weekend matches between the A teams and the under-21 squads have also been postponed.

A Welsh Rugby Union spokesman said: "Whilst we regret the inconvenience caused we fully understand the decision taken by our Irish counterparts."

Welsh First Minister Rhodri Morgan said: "We are aware of and fully understand the strongly-worded request by the Irish Minister for Agriculture and Food Joe Walsh, to the Irish Rugby Football Union to postpone the game to protect the Irish livestock industry from infection."

He added: "There is also an increased risk to the livestock industry the length and breadth of Wales from the infection being carried by rugby supporters arriving in Holyhead passing through the exclusion zone around Gaerwen and southwards to Cardiff and back.

"The virulence of this disease puts a duty on all of us to be good neighbours. I hope this eagerly awaited fixture can be played as soon as this disease has been eliminated."

The Irish Department of Agriculture is calling on all Irish rugby fans to refrain from travelling to Wales in the current circumstances.

Meanwhile, Irish Agriculture Minister Joe Walsh announced the suspension of all horse and greyhound meetings in Ireland with effect from midnight to prevent the spread of the disease.

He also appealed to the Irish public not to travel to the Cheltenham Festival, stressing that people should only travel to Britain if their journey was really necessary.

Horses are immune to the disease but can transport it.