Italy: Blue tongue, broutards import at risk

In August, an aggressive strain of bluetongue virus, coded as BTV3, appeared, rapidly spreading to almost half of France and overlapping with pre-existing epidemics of the BTV8 strain and cervid haemorrhagic disease (MHE). The number of cattle testing positive for PCR for the virus suddenly jumped from a few percent to peaks of up to 50%. Only negative animals can be brought into Italy, which is why fatteners are very worried about not being able to replace mature animals in the coming weeks. The direct damage to animal health caused by these viruses is serious for sheep and goats (high mortality) and with less obvious symptoms in cattle. However, the economic damage is much more serious as a result of restrictions on the movement of animals in the territories adjacent to the outbreaks (150 km in France), as required by EU protocols. Only animals intended for slaughter can be exempted from the restrictions. Vector-borne diseases, still defined as "exotic" although they have been ...