Latest Posts on warmwell.com Bluetongue page

February 22 2008 ~ Bluetongue risk starts "in April" says DEFRA

The BBC reports that Researchers from the Institute for Animal Research have produced a map showing when farms in different parts of England and Wales are at most risk. "They say midges that could spread the virus will become active from the middle of March, but could begin infecting livestock just weeks later. ..... The head of the team feared that a vaccine would not be ready until after the first animals had become infected." Meanwhile, "In the UK in 2007, tDEFRA has announced the extension of the Bluetongue Surveillance Zone into Cornwall. " Inclusion in the Surveillance Zone will allow Cornish farmers to continue to trade as normal within the South West and the rest of the Surveillance Zone." Defra has also confirmed today that the current so-called Vector Free Period will end at midnight on 15 March 2008. DEFRA says, "This decision is based on an assessment of meteorological data and historic vector (midge) trapping, which provides evidence that the midge vectors for bluetongue will re-emerge at around this time." From 15 March no animals will be permitted to move out of the Restricted Zone.

February 22 2008 ~ Tests are now being carried out on the foetuses of culled animals to check for cow to calf transmission across the placenta.

The Farmers Guardian reports on the apparent development in Northern Ireland. See also our report yesterdaybelow and informed comment in the most recent communication to warmwell from Dr Ruth Watkins.

February 22 2008 ~‘no guarantees’ where the zones would be extended

The Farmers Guardian reports that organisers of Summer Shows are calling on Defra to extend the Bluetongue Zones as soon as possible. Defra's Andrew Clayton said that decisions would be taken based on risk, extending the zones to areas most likely to be exposed to the virus.

February 21 2008 ~ "I have translated the article for your readers because I thought some farmers and vets in England might be interested.."

We are very grateful to Susan Baekeland, now living in lower Normandy and who used to farm in Spain. She has experience in veterinary medicine and forwards to us this article from La Semaine Vétérinaire No 1299 of 25th January 2008 "Vaccination strategies in the Mediterranean basin - 6 countries share their experience of vaccination against Bluetongue." Read in full

February 21 2008 ~ "My sister's cow Duchess, infected with BTV-8 in Norfolk, is shortly to calve...."

Dr Ruth Watkins, the virologist and farmer, has every reason to be concerned about developments in Northern Ireland:
"If the calves born in N Ireland to the imported cows are documented to have bluetongue infection even whilst being apparently well, it signifies the cows have had a primary infection with BTV-8 in 2007 during their pregnancy and it is likely the calves will be viraemic and infectious to any biting female midge for an unknown period of time in the future, likely into the summer or throughout the summer of 2008.
I would suggest that calves (or lambs) are tested of any imported ruminant into the UK if the cow (or ewe) was pregnant at the time of import, and has antibody to BTV-8, even if she has no virus present; one cannot know if infection in the 'antibody positive but virus RNA PCR negative' mother was in 2006 or 2007- when there is antibody only present (none have yet been vaccinated)...."
Read Dr Watkins' communication in full.

February 21 2008 ~ “We need the vaccine and we need it now.”

Margaret Dalton, a former Welsh Woman Farmer of the Year, is quoted in the Wales Daily Post. Fearing a lack of political urgency in getting sufficient supplies of bluetongue vaccine into Wales, she said that the situation was “extremely scary” and had raised the issue with rural affairs minister Elin Jones. “I’ve had figures showing that in January alone there were 107 new cases in northern France, 362 were notified in Germany between December 28 and January 11 – and the first case in Spain occurred on January 10." Other concerns on Mrs Dalton’s agenda include the legalisation of “smokies”, processing of wool for insulation and help for new farming entrants.

February 21 2008 ~"... the mechanism by which the original animal and the calves became infected is uncertain"

In Northern Ireland, ".... It would seem that 3 out of 4 calves born to heifers in this group were ELISA positive and PCR positive.... It was judged prudent to remove all of the remaining heifers in this group as the mechanism by which the original animal and the calves became infected is uncertain. What is certain is that this group of cattle had already been exposed to the infection and that they presented a risk..." (see below)
It seems very important that the "mechanism by which the calves became infected" should be found out as soon as possible. If vertical transmission is indeed taking place it suggets a very worrying development. Comment would be gratefully received.
UPDATEProMed comment: "....The timetable of their route from the farms of origin on the continent until arrival in the destined Northern-Irish farm, including dates and duration of possible intermediate stay(s) in any locations underway -- on the continent and/or on British territory -- has to be completed. The findings in newborn calves (when and where have they been born?), namely their positive ELISA and PCR tests, add to the mystery. Extended viraemia in the heifers is just one of the hypothetical explanations, and not an overly satisfactory one."

February 21 2008 ~Germany announces plans for "mandatory immunisation" on German farms

Officials said 867 German cows and six sheep had come down with the viral disease so far this year, after 20,479 cases last year. news.trend.az The original article (in German) says that it is highly unlikely that a vaccine will be licenced by May but the German authorities are prepared to implement emergency legislation to permit the use of these vaccines on a national scale. The German Ministry accepts that there might be a risk but priority should be to stop the virus from spreading further. A field trial on a limited scale is planned from the middle of March, supervised by the FLI.

February 20 2008 ~ "in total 30 animals were culled."

It is with some astonishment that we read in the Belfast Telegraph that Northern Ireland's Agriculture Minister, Michelle Gildernew, had taken the decision on Sunday to cull the remaining 20 cattle in this imported group and all of their calves.
"... We also culled a further three animals imported in another batch as a precautionary measure. The culling of these animals was completed on-farm on Monday and in total 30 animals were culled."
Michelle Gildernew also told the Stormont Agriculture committee that even livestock that had been in contact with infected animals or that was likely to become infected could be slaughtered, and no compensation would be paid.
The only justification we can even contemplate for slaughtering all the cows and their calves would be the possibility, suggested in some quarters, that vertical transmission between cow and calf has taken place. This seems most unlikely. As ProMed says below of the imported animals, " .. they were most probably not viraemic upon arrival in .. Ulster and thus did not seem to pose a real threat to the local livestock..."
Any information about the possibility of vertical transmission (and Bluetongue is, of course, a disease that can be contracted only by means of the bite of an infected female midge) would be very gratefully received.
UPDATE Bluetongue Disease Minister's Statement to Assembly 19/02/08 ww.dardni.gov.uk".... It would seem that 3 out of 4 calves born to heifers in this group were ELISA positive and PCR positive.... It was judged prudent to remove all of the remaining heifers in this group as the mechanism by which the original animal and the calves became infected is uncertain. What is certain is that this group of cattle had already been exposed to the infection and that they presented a risk..."
This is a strange and worrying development.

February 20 2008 ~ "....decreased public interest in agriculture in general and in non-zoonotic animal diseases in particular. Most unfortunate to Europe's farmers"

The ProMed moderator today , (having cited warmwell.com's publicising the letter to the Vet Record by BVA President,Nick Blayney) deplores the scarcity of research work done on bluetongue BTV-8, and says
"The statement that only "anecdotal" information is available on the effect of BTV-8 upon the production of cattle and sheep in Europe illuminates the clear need for updated, scientifically based information on the BTV-8 epizootic, which has already spread to 9 European countries. The following -- most recent available -- paper is included to somewhat decrease the knowledge gap.....
....the low rate of attention (and research effort) paid in Europe to the BTV-8 epizootic, already identified in 8 industrialised, western European countries, seems to reflect the decreased public interest in agriculture in general and in non-zoonotic animal diseases in particular. Most unfortunate to Europe's farmers..."
More at ProMed mail (We find "most unfortunate" a somewhat Jeevesian use of adjective by the ever-tactful ProMed. "Catastrophic" is one of the adjectives warmwell would prefer. As Peter Morris, chief executive of the National Sheep Association, says below: “What is for sure is that if this disease beats us then the entire British livestock industry will be in real trouble.”)

February 20 2008 ~ Welsh farmers anxious about vaccine stocks

Wales has been promised only 2.5 million of the 22.5 million doses ordered. We read in www.tivysideadvertiser.co.uk that Shadow Rural Affairs Minister, Brynle Williams, has said, "It's extremely worrying that only 2.5million doses of bluetongue vaccination have been ordered by the Assembly Government. That does not even come close to covering the pedigree flocks here, let alone the commercial ones and cattle..." As for Scotland, no vaccine has been ordered at all.

February 20 2008 ~ NFU Scotland is inviting farmers from across the North East to its emergency meeting on Bluetongue and Sheep EID meeting on Monday

The meeting will take place in Ring 2, Thainstone Market on Monday, 25 February, at 7.30pm and is open to NFU Scotland members and non-members. Bluetongue specialists Brian Rice and Kevin Douglas of Merial Animal Health Ltd. and Nigel Miller, NFU Scotland Vice-President will address the meeting before opening the floor to questions from the audience. Nigel Miller is quoted at NFUS: “To have Merial’s input at this meeting is significant as they already have experience of producing Bluetongue vaccines, albeit for other strains, in the Mediterranean, where the product has been successful. Scotland is at a crossroads regarding vaccination strategy so it is worth speaking to the people who have experience of controlling the disease.”

February 19 2008 ~ Stakeholder Meeting tomorrow

The agenda for DEFRA's stakeholder meeting tomorrow will include a Disease Update, the Spring / Summer Strategy - policy statement, Vaccination , Movement issues and Communications. The "stakeholders" have been given a statement with the title, "Why is Defra proposing a voluntary vaccination campaign against Bluetongue? What about European co-funding?" It can be read here. (All links on this page open in new windows)

February 18 2008 ~ "... they were not viraemic upon arrival in Wales or Ulster and thus did not seem to pose a real threat to the local livestock..."

Expert moderator's comment on ProMed, referring to
"such as the Dutch-origin Texel sheep found positive in Wales; see at http://www.dailypost.co.uk are not "1st BTV-8 cases" in new territories. These animals had been infected in their original countries a considerable time -- probably not less than 2 months -- before export. According to the veterinary certificate requirements, if they tested (serologically) positive prior to export, they should have been excluded from the consignments; however, most probably they were not viraemic upon arrival in Wales or Ulster and thus did not seem to pose a real threat to the local livestock; they thus do not deserve the definition "1st case."
As spring approaches and temperatures rise, the risk from such animals will increase. - Mod.AS]"
The slaughtering of 27 animals in Northern Ireland on the orders of DARD appears to be an unprecedented response. As the moderator says, they "..did not seem to pose a real threat to the local livestock."

February 18 2008 ~ BVA President: "Our fragile farming industry cannot afford this.....We must persuade our clients of the necessity of mass vaccination and our target must be 100 per cent"

Nick Blayney's letter in the Veterinary Record should be read in full. Extract: "The profession has the opportunity to demonstrate yet again the value of a viable livestock veterinary sector to the nation. We must persuade our clients of the necessity of mass vaccination and our target must be 100 per cent.......The vaccine will be licensed as a POM-V, to be administered to animals under the care of a veterinary surgeon. It is likely that our clients will be permitted to vaccinate their own animals, although arrangements with regard to movement between zones or states (or devolved national boundaries) may require veterinary certification. .." Read in full