Farmers urged to be vigilant for bluetongue

Farmers have been urged not to import cattle to NI from countries that are affected by bluetongue following ongoing outbreaks of the disease across continental Europe.

DARD chief veterinary officer Robert Huey said that there have recently been isolated incidents of cattle being imported from countries affected by the bluetongue virus. “There are inherent risks associated with this and I would urge farmers not to import cattle from affected countries,” he said.

According to the World Animal Health Organisation, outbreaks of bluetongue have been reported in France, Greece, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Hungary in December 2015 alone. Since mid-September, France has had 140 outbreaks of the disease with a high prevalence in the central regions of the country.

There at least 24 different varieties of the bluetongue virus. The BTV-8 strain of the virus, which was responsible for the previous widespread outbreak of bluetongue in northern Europe, was identified in both sheep and cattle on farms in central France in September. This strain had previously not been detected in the EU since 2011.

Bluetongue is a notifiable disease that affects all ruminants, but poses no danger to human health. It is spread by midges, which transfer the virus between animals, and also by infected semen or ova.

Symptoms of the disease include fever, swelling of the head and neck, lameness, mucous discharge and a high mortality rate. These vary between species with symptoms generally being more severe in sheep.

Vaccination against bluetongue is prohibited in NI, but DARD has said that in the event of an outbreak ,a licence may be issued to permit vaccination here following a veterinary risk assessment. Some EU countries affected by bluetongue have vaccinated in response to outbreaks.