Import plea after Bluetongue case

Importers bringing live cattle and sheep into Northern Ireland were urged today to stop after a new strain of the Bluetongue virus spread from the European mainland to England.

The Ulster Farmers’ Union said the detection of the BTV1 stain of the virus in the North of England in cattle shipped from France was a significant warning to local importers not to put the industry at risk of the disease from imports.

UFU president Graham Furey said the industry in Britain had been struggling with the financial and practical impact of the ongoing BTV8 outbreak and now had a new strain through "the selfish actions of a small number of people in the industry".