A shipment of six Dutch dairy heifers had been legally carried across Scotland en route to the Republic of Ireland. However, it was discovered at the port of Larne, in Northern Ireland, that two of the animals had been pregnant before being vaccinated against bluetongue.

This breached European rules on movements between Europe's BTV8 zone, which includes the Netherlands, and a BTV-free zone like Ireland.

The two animals were refused entry into Ireland and shipped back on the ferry to Stranraer.

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said the Netherlands' authorities had agreed to accept the animals back and arrangements for them to be ‘re-exported, hopefully this week' were being sorted out ‘as a matter of urgency'.

An NFU Scotland spokesman said they were ‘absolutely delighted' the animals were going back. “It was obvious the issue was at the Dutch end because these animals should never have left the Netherlands in the first place.

"The fact they had been vaccinated after they were pregnant contravened bluetongue rules.”

He said legislation should be tightened when a country like Holland, which has had a history of bluetongue infection, still had problems when complying with the rules.