Restrictions after Bluetongue outbreak

Restrictions on the movement of sheep and cows have been put in place following confirmation of an outbreak of Bluetongue disease.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has created a new 20km protection zone around a farm in the Watford area, following the discovery of the virus in a cow there.

The 20km zone covers parts of Buckinghamshire, the Royal Borough and Slough.

The infected animal was on a farm which was previously in the Surveillance Zone and it was found during pre-movement testing.

Two further new cases have been found inside the existing Bluetongue protection zone covering much of East Anglia and the South East, and that zone has now been extended into Surrey and Cambridgeshire.

Defra say more cases may be expected in the coming weeks.