The Ministry of Agriculture admits it won't be able to control the outbreak of the rabbit virus RCD.

MAF spokesperson, Gary Clark, says the Ministry is waiting for test results today to confirm if the disease has spread outside the Cromwell area.

He says little is known about how the virus will spread in this country. He says there certainly aren't hillsides littered with dead bodies, but rabbits may be dying in their burrows.

An Australian scientist says MAF hasn't a hope of containing the rabbit virus.

Ron Sinclair says the virus is spreading in parts of Australia with a similar climate to where it has been released in Cromwell.

He says it spreads better in colder areas of Australia, than in warmer areas. Test results from rabbits in Maniototo and the McKenzie country should be known by midday and MAF will then decide whether to expand its control area.

The virus was found in rabbits in the Cromwell area on Tuesday and five farms in the area have been quarantined. MAF is also checking rabbits in the Wairarapa and Waikato for RCD infection.

Meanwhile Central Otago police looking for the RCD smuggler are checking local farmers passports. Police inquiries will include checking farmers names against the immigration computer which monitors international arrivals and departures.

But it could be a long job - a contingent of Central Otago farmers took time off last month for the Tri Nations rugby in Australia. The suspicion among some farmers is that it's likely the livers of infected Australian rabbits were smuggled into New Zealand.

The Government says if RCD has spread, a decision will have to be taken on whether containment is worth the cost and effort.