We’ve broadly welcomed news that Great Britain will officially gain Bluetongue ‘disease-free’ status next month (July 5).
The decision has been taken on the advice of experts who have looked at the situation across Europe and concluded that the risk of the Bluetongue entering the country is at present extremely low.
The move brings with it trading benefits, but means that British farmers will be unable to vaccinate their animals against the disease, as legislation does not allow vaccination within a free zone.
And that aspect of the decision tempered the approval of NFU livestock board chairman, Alistair Mackintosh.
He said: “Ideally the NFU would have wished to see changes to the EU Bluetongue directive that would have allowed for vaccination in a free area prior to this change being made in Great Britain.
“However despite a concerted lobbying effort by the NFU and government this has not been possible due to legal technicalities at a European level. This announcement is testament to the fact that the last confirmed case of Bluetongue in this country was in 2008 which is due, largely, to a very successful campaign by farmers, government and vets to get rid of the disease from our shores.
“The NFU welcomes today’s ministerial assurance that Defra will continue to press for changes at a European level in order to allow farmers to use vaccination when Bluetongue zones are not in place. We will also do all we can through our office in Brussels to ensure the voice of British farmers is heard.”
The new status will also mean that animals exported from Great Britain to other Bluetongue free countries will not require vaccination, although animals brought in from high risk countries will.
Mr Mackintosh added: “Obviously, we would agree with the agricultural minister that this is good news for Great Britain and we would support his call for farmers and vets to remain vigilant for signs of a disease that can have a devastating impact on livestock production.
“We would also ask the minister to keep a watching brief on developments on the continent and if the threat of disease returning to Great Britain via wind borne spread increases, then we would expect our status to be urgently reviewed.”
- Visit our Bluetongue pages here
- Visit the NFUonline livestock news stream here.
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