Bluetongue could be here to stay as Brown announces 11 cases of the disease

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Defra has confirmed that the Bluetongue virus is circulating in the UK

Farmers' concerns about the bluetongue outbreak intensified today as Gordon Brown announced there were now 11 cases of the disease.

The agriculture industry has already been affected by foot-and-mouth and yesterday government officials confirmed that cases of the virulent disease have spread.

The Prime Minister made a brief statement at Downing Street saying: "I've now come from a meeting of our special committee which has discussed the recent incidence and I've also been in discussions with the veterinary service and with the National Farmers' Union and its president.

"There are now 11 cases of bluetongue. We are taking all the action that is necessary within a protected zone. At the same time we've had seven cases of foot-and-mouth.

"There have been no new cases for five days and while we will not be complacent, we are taking action at a very high level within the protected zones there."

Deputy chief vet Fred Landeg, declaring an official outbreak, said "a significant number of animals" would be hit.

However, he ruled out culling infected sheep and cattle and said there were no health reasons why infected animals should not be sold for meat.

The movement of livestock is now restricted in a 12.5-mile control zone around the farms in Suffolk where five cases have been confirmed.

A 91-mile protection zone stretches from Lincolnshire to Sussex.

The announcement came a week after the first UK case of the virus was found in a cow near Ipswich.

Despite hopes that the disease could be contained, tests on new cases have confirmed that it is endemic in midges and livestock in East Anglia.

Unless there is a cold snap lasting more than two months this winter, killing the midges, it is highly likely the disease will spread again next year.

The announcement and the new restrictions on animal movements are hammer blows to farmers who are already reeling from the foot and mouth crisis.

Although bluetongue is not as infectious as foot and mouth, it is far more dangerous to animals.

In some flocks, up to 80 per cent of infected sheep die. There is no vaccine for the strain affecting northern Europe.

Government scientists believe infected European midges were blown across to the Suffolk coast at the start of August and began to bite cattle. The disease was then picked up by local midges who passed it on to more animals.

Bluetongue infects cattle, sheep, goats and deer. Infected animals suffer flu-like symptoms for several weeks and swelling and bleeding around the mouth and nose. They can also go lame and struggle to eat.

The Government has stressed that the disease poses no risk to human health from meat or milk products.

• The Prince of Wales has made a £100,000 donation to farmers affected by the foot and mouth outbreak, it was revealed last night, and helped raise more than £500,000 for farming charities from leading supermarkets and retailers.

 

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