Think before you buy - Keep bluetongue out

Following confirmation from officials that a new strain of the devastating livestock disease bluetongue has been found in Holland, NFU Cymru are renewing the call for an industry wide voluntary ban on imports in light of the worsening situation in Europe.

Bluetongue is a viral infection of cattle and sheep, with the virus transmitted between animals by midges. Vaccine against the BTV8 strain has been available throughout the whole of Wales since the beginning of September. However, this vaccine will not protect farmers against BTV1 or the new danger of BTV6.

NFU Cymru President, Dai Davies said, "These latest developments are very worrying and it is an important reminder that while we have not yet seen Bluetongue circulating in the UK this year it has not gone away. We continue to see the number of cases of BTV 8 increase on the continent with nearly 22,000 cases in France alone this year, this should provide a stark reminder to farmers of the need to protect their stock from BTv8, ’don’t hesitate –vaccinate’.

"With the introduction of BTV6 and the continuing spread of BTV1 this is also a reminder of the risks of importing animals from Bluetongue areas. Whilst we may not be able to legally ban imports, we need to seriously question the need for importing animals from areas where bluetongue is in circulation. I strongly believe that we as an industry should introduce a voluntary ban on all imports from these areas."

NFU Cymru is also extremely worried as the latest data and maps released by the French government which show that BTV1 appears to have jumped to the North West tip of the country.

Dai Davies ended, "Clearly this is very concerning and it brings the BTV1 zone much closer to the UK. The reality is that we no longer have a clear idea where the disease is active in mainland Europe and cases of bluetongue continue to soar. The industry can not afford to carry on importing animals from infected areas of Europe."