Ireland: DAFM urges vigilance as bluetongue spreads across Europe

Published 2024년 10월 29일

Tridge summary

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) in Ireland is warning livestock farmers about the risk of the bluetongue virus, which has infiltrated new regions of Europe and Britain. This virus can affect ruminants and camelids, with sheep often showing more severe symptoms and mortality rates ranging from 30-70%. The virus is spread by infected midges most active from April to November. The DAFM has suspended the importation of live ruminants from Britain due to the disease, but permits imports from other EU countries with specific certification. However, there is concern that animals from Europe may not meet Ireland's certification requirements. A new variant of the virus, BTV-12, has been identified in a sheep in the Netherlands, for which there is currently no vaccine.

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Original content

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is urging livestock keepers in Ireland to be vigilant as bluetongue virus spreads to new regions of Europe and Britain. The department said that the situation in Europe is “dynamic” and as a result “there is a real risk of bluetongue virus entry into Ireland”. The disease affect ruminant animals such as sheep, cattle, goats and deer and camelids like llama and alpaca. Bluetongue Bluetongue virus is spread by infected biting midges which are present in Ireland and are generally most active during warmer months, between April and November. DAFM said that as November approaches and temperatures decrease, midge activity in Ireland will now be lower over the winter. However, the department noted that the risk of bluetongue transmission will increase in spring 2025 when temperatures increase, and midges become more active again. Sheep are more likely to show obvious and more severe clinical signs of bluetongue than cattle if they ...

Source: AgriLand