September 16, 2008

 

UK risks importing Blue Tongue affected cattle
  

 

According to a Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) bulletin, there have been four incidents of Blue Tongue in UK this year, all of which have involved importations of livestock from Restricted Zones in Europe.

 

Bluetongue disease, or catarrhal fever, is a non-contagious, insect-borne viral disease of ruminants, mainly sheep and less frequently of cattle.

 

The first UK incident involved cattle from Germany into Devon.

 

The second and third incidents involved the importation of sheep from France to two locations in the south of England.

 

The current incident involves 18 cattle imported from Germany into County Durham in the north of England and it has come too close to Northern Ireland for comfort, Irish sources said.

 

This is because it may take up to 6 to 8 weeks for livestock keepers in the North of England to have sufficient opportunity to vaccinate their livestock and for the stock to acquire immunity although the whole of England & Wales became a Protection Zone on 1 September (according to a DEFRA statement).

 

There is now the increased risk of clean midges becoming infected from the recent infected imports into the north of England in what is a period of high level midge activity.

 

The risk of the disease spreading to unvaccinated stock in the north of England is thus much increased. All sectors of the north Ireland industry should act responsibly to avoid jeopardizing their own stock, by not importing stock from or transporting them through high risk areas, the bulletin urged.

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