Livestock farmers are at risk of a new strain of animal disease, which could have serious implications, according to experts. The bluetongue virus is predicted to spread across England, with a “very high probability” of infected midges being blown over from northern Europe. Already there have been 126 cases of the disease which does not affect people or food safety. Farmers are calling for a vaccine to be developed quickly.
The virus has already caused more than 6,000 cases in the Netherlands where emergency approval has been given to one vaccine. However, any vaccination will need “full market authorisation” in the UK before it can become available for use. There were 119 cases in cattle and seven in sheep across Norfolk, Suffolk and Kent, with livestock at risk of losing 30% of their herd, affecting animal welfare and reducing milk yields.
David Barton, Chair of the National Farmers Union’s livestock board, pointed out that although farmers are “anxious to protect their livestock” there are still a lot of unknowns over the vaccine. Last year was the first outbreak since 2007 in the UK and an infected midge only needs to bite once to transmit the virus leading to a high level of animal infection in the field. Although The Pirbright Institute virus research centre is investigating how the spread of disease is occurring, controlling the spread of the virus will be problematic as midges are abundant and challenging to control.
Scientist Dr Carrie Batten, head of the national reference laboratory for bluetongue, has advised farmers to look for clinical signs in their animals to help spot early outbreaks, which can arise quickly due to the insect-borne nature of the disease. A spokeswoman for DEFRA reported that they were “actively monitoring the situation” and reviewing the current control strategy for bluetongue and that the disease was reportable so must be notified to the APHA if suspected
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