Farmers warned to stay alert after Dutch bluetongue outbreak

Sheep farmers and vets are being urged to stay extra vigilant for the signs of deadly bluetongue virus in their flocks following a major outbreak in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says more than 1,200 livestock farms may have been affected in the country (PDF).

Latest figures to 10 October show 294 positive cases confirmed in the clinic, and 989 holdings tested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive for the BTV-3 strain of the virus.

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In the past few days, BTV-3 has also been detected in sheep in Merksplas, a province of Antwerp, in Belgium.

There is currently no vaccine available for this new strain of the virus (BTV-3), which is believed to have originated in central Africa. Therefore, the potential effect on UK sheep and cattle sectors could be huge.

The disease was reported on four sheep farms in the Netherlands on 5 September, the first outbreak in the country since 2009. In some confirmed cases on sheep farms, up to one-third of animals are reportedly being lost.

Vets in the Netherlands are reporting severe illness in sheep, with high fever, weight loss and blisters or lesions around the coronary band, udder, face and mouth.

Bluetongue, which is transmitted to animals by biting midges, mainly affects sheep, but it can also infect cattle, goats, llamas and alpacas. It has the greatest production effect on dairy cattle due to the drop in milk yield. 

‘Prioritise biosecurity’ – NSA

Bluetongue could spread into the UK this autumn if infected midges are carried by the wind into England. There is also the possibility the disease will overwinter and then spread here next spring once midge activity picks up.

Phil Stocker, chief executive of the National Sheep Association (NSA), told the Farmers Weekly Podcast farmers must stay alert for signs of the viral disease and prioritise biosecurity on farms.

“We know that it’s midge season and the weather is really mild in the UK, so there is a risk of the disease coming across from the Netherlands, either by biting midges or by any live animals that have been brought over,” he said.

Mr Stocker is urging sheep farmers to work closely with their vets and stay alert for any unusual symptoms in their sheep and report it to the relevant authority (see panel).