NFU Cymru welcomes vector free period announcement

NFU Cymru has welcomed today's announcement that a vector free period has been declared by Defra and the Welsh Assembly Government for Blue Tongue virus, as of yesterday, 20 December 2007.

This means susceptible animals which have been stranded within the Blue Tongue virus (BTv) restricted area of England may now be retrieved and brought back to Wales, subject to a satisfactory pre movement blood test undertaken by local vets.

Dai Davies, NFU Cymru President said, "The declaration of this period will come as enormous relief to those farmers who have had sheep and cattle stranded in the Blue Tongue restricted zone. Through no fault of their own a number of farmers in Wales who took grazing in England before it became subject to BTv movement controls have been unable to bring their livestock back and a series of management problems, including welfare issues, have, as a consequence, arisen."

Mr Davies continued, "The swiftest way of getting stock back where there are welfare considerations will, unfortunately, require the most expensive blood test to prove the animal is free of disease. In some cases this will represent a significant proportion of the value of the animal. I hope that the Welsh Assembly Government will look at ways of mitigating the cost of this test for those needing to use it."

NFU Cymru will continue to press the Welsh Assembly Government to permit those farmers who occupy land near the current surveillance zone boundary to have their unrestricted land designated as part of the surveillance zone, if they so wish, in order to ease farm management problems.