Bluetongue in Europe; one breeder has already lost 860 animals

Bluetongue disease is decimating flocks of sheep and cattle in Western Europe: the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, but the first cases have also been reported in the Czech Republic. Farmers are also growing angry, because their losses are endless, and the state authorities have proven completely ineffective in combating the epidemic and helping breeders. 860 dead sheep The scale of the problem is best illustrated by a report by the German station NDR, whose team visited Sven Scheffler's farm in Hude, in the Oldenburg district, in Lower Saxony, in northwestern Germany. The 36-year-old farmer took over the sheep farm from his parents 5 years ago. The bluetongue epidemic reached him a few weeks ago, when his flock numbered 4,000. So far, the farmer has taken over 860 adult sheep and lambs from his pastures for disposal. There was not a day that went by without him picking up dead animals from the ground. The young farmer estimates the losses at over 200,000 ...