Fire, disease, water and forage have been causing a huge amount of stress and concerns for farming families across the country - not excluding York East. We've seen a huge increase in incidents across the South, confirmed cases in Scotland and now in East Yorkshire.
In 2024, bluetongue hit the county and over the last few years, regionally we have we have been advocating vaccinating animals in order to keep on top of this disease. This insect-borne viral livestock disease has seen a surge due to the high temperatures which have been affecting various parts of the UK over the summer period.
For those who may need a reminder:
Bluetongue is a notifiable disease caused by infection with bluetongue virus.
Bluetongue virus is mainly spread by biting midges and the virus affects:
- sheep
- cattle
- other ruminants such as deer and goats
- camelids such as llamas and alpacas
Very occasionally, bluetongue can affect dogs and other carnivores if they eat infected material - such as aborted material and afterbirth.
It does not affect people or food safety, but outbreaks can result in prolonged animal movement and trade restrictions.
There is misleading information circulating that there is no vaccine available and that animals should not be sheared this summer to try and reduce the spread. We know a huge amount of vaccinations are due to land any day from the from Europe and with temperatures set to remain high across parts of the country over the next few weeks, it's really important that we take every practical step we can to minimise heat stress within our flocks - this must include shearing for animal welfare reasons.
We urge you to continue working closely with your vets, maintain strong bio security measures and make sure that you are vaccinating - as it's an important tool in your toolbox to protect your livestock.
We will be holding a national webinar the week commencing 24th August, please keep your eyes on your emails and social media platforms for registration details. If you would like any advice, please get in touch.
In the meantime, we are encouraging everyone to vaccinate animals - including booster vaccinations for livestock treated last year, speak to your vet. Report suspected signs immediately, review your movements, monitor your stock daily and try to reduce midge exposure by getting rid of any standing water.