We’ve updated our Schmallenberg virus briefing, following a further increase in the number of premises to have returned positive tests.
The latest data from the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, released today, puts the total number of affected UK holdings at 238 (see document for county-by-county details).
Twenty five of the affected premises are cattle farms and 213 sheep businesses.
Currently, SBV infection has only been identified in areas predicted to be at risk of midge incursion from northern Europe during the summer and autumn of 2011. However, the AHVLA says it cannot rule out the possibility that domestic midges may have transmitted the virus after feeding on livestock already infected by Continental insects.
In Europe, more than 2,400 sites have returned positive tests across the the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy and Luxembourg.
Our latest update includes analysis from Defra on the costs of making the disease notifiable and a progress report on the development of a serological diagnostic test.
Read our latest advice here.
- See also: NFU sees SBV research in progress 22 Mar 2012
Peter Kendall and Adam Quinney have met with scientists at the leading UK research institute studying Schmallenberg virus.
- SBV: The picture in Europe 19 Mar 2012
Defra has published a new snapshot of Schmallenberg virus on the Continent, along with information about the latest scientific findings.
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