Time for a unified approach in the battles against Foot & Mouth and Bluetongue says CLA

The CLA is calling for Government to integrate its strategy against the twin threats of Foot & Mouth and Bluetongue Virus as a matter of urgency, as farmers across the North face possibly the hardest times in living memory.

Angus Collingwood-Cameron, Director CLA North East says;

"The current plight of livestock farmers is a disaster for the whole rural economy, but we must also be addressing the threat of Bluetongue now.

"There is simply no point in nursing the livestock industry through Foot and Mouth, only to have it decimated by Bluetongue next year. With the prospect of a bluetongue epidemic it is hard for any livestock farmer to see a way through the current crisis."

Douglas Chalmers, Director CLA North Says:

"The message we are hearing, and relaying to government, is that farmers have been hit hard and fast financially through the repercussions of foot and mouth and there seems little hope of recovery if Bluetongue arrives in the North.

"Hopefully the cause of FMD has been identified, and the virus under control, but the prospects of a Bluetongue outbreak are far more unpredictable and it seems unlikely that farmers would be able to protect stock by conventional farm management and biosecurity. The implications are too dreadful to contemplate, with animals in distress and the full burden of loss being placed firmly on the farmers. That is why we are calling on Government to act swiftly and fully integrate their animal disease strategy to deal with both threats.

Part of that integrated strategy, says the CLA, must be to develop a Bluetongue vaccine, which seems to be the only hope for the livestock sector.

Mr Chalmers concludes: "Bluetongue in Northern Europe is now an epidemic. There are now reportedly over 20,000 cases and more are being notified every day. The need for urgency cannot be over estimated. The prospect of an effective vaccine would at least offer some hope to a beleaguered industry."