Farming: Bluetongue Virus ‘Could Be Present Without Symptoms’

FARMERS were yesterday anxiously checking livestock as the latest disease to hit British agriculture began to spread.

A second Suffolk farm fell victim to bluetongue on Tuesday and the worst affected farmer warned that the virus could be present without herd managers realising.

Vets confirmed bluetongue in a Holstein cow on a farm in Lound – 50 miles from Baylham, where it was first detected at the weekend.

Defra officials banned livestock movements in Suffolk and the neighbouring counties of Norfolk and Essex in the hope of limiting the spread of the disease.

The disease – spread by infected midges – emerged when farmers were struggling to cope with movement restrictions in the wake of outbreaks of foot-and-mouth in Surrey in recent weeks.

It is common in southern Europe and has spread across northern European countries during the past year.

NFU regional director Richard Ellison said the announcement of a 150km temporary control zone around the premises in Suffolk where the UK’s first case of bluetongue may have been found is making the FMD situation more complicated.

The control zone, which extends as far as Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, prohibits the movement of livestock beyond the zone boundaries.

On Saturday a Highland cow at a rare breeds farm in Baylham officially became the first British farm animal to fall victim to bluetongue. An Old Gloucester at the same farm was then slaughtered on Monday after routine tests showed that it was also infected. Farm owner Richard Storer said the first cow had been unwell but the second showed no signs of illness.

“To all outward appearances there was nothing wrong with her,” he said.

“Worryingly, this means that there may well be animals elsewhere in East Anglia that have been bitten by midges, are now infected but are not showing any symptoms to alert their owners to the presence of the virus.” Ron Hill, who runs the farm in Lound, said: “You can’t control the flight of the midges or the wind.”

(c) 2007 The Journal – Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.