NFU Cymru cautiously welcomes Bluetongue-free status

NFU Cymru has cautiously welcomed news that Wales will officially gain Bluetongue disease-free status on 5 July 2011.

Welsh Environment Minister, John Griffiths, has announced today that Great Britain will be given Bluetongue-free status on 5 July 2011 and as a result, from that date, Welsh farmers will no longer be able to vaccinate their animals against Bluetongue disease. The decision has been taken on the advice of experts who have looked at the situation across Europe and concluded that the risk of Bluetongue entering the country is at present extremely low.

NFU Cymru Deputy President, Stephen James, said, "Ideally NFU Cymru would have wished to see changes to the EU Bluetongue directive, that would have allowed for vaccination in a free area, prior to this change being made in GB. Despite a concerted lobbying effort by the Union and the UK authorities, this has not been possible due to legal technicalities at an European level. This announcement, however, is testament to the fact that the last confirmed case of Bluetongue in GB was in 2008. This is due in a large part to a very successful campaign by Government, vets and farmers to get rid of the disease from our shores.

"NFU Cymru welcomes the Environment Minister’s assurance that the Welsh Government will continue to press for changes at a European level in order to allow farmers to use vaccination when Bluetongue zones are not in place. We will also do all we can through our office in Brussels to ensure the voice of Welsh farmers is heard on how important the option of vaccination is in keeping us Bluetongue disease free."

Bluetongue free status will also mean that animals exported from Great Britain to other Bluetongue free countries will not be required to be vaccinated, however animals brought in from high risk countries will continue to be required to be vaccinated.

Stephen James said, "Obviously, we would agree with the Environment Minister that this is good news for Wales and we would support his call for farmers and vets to remain vigilant for signs of a disease that can have a devastating impact on livestock production. We would also ask the Minister to keep a watching brief on developments on the continent. If the threat of disease returning to Wales, via wind borne spread, increases then we would expect our status to be urgently reviewed to allow farmers to have the ability to protect their livestock through vaccination."