The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has warned farmers in Northern Ireland that bluetongue vrius (BTV) is a “serious threat” to both their farms and the wider agri-food industry.
The union said farmers must source livestock responsibly and report any suspicion of the disease in their herd immediately.
UFU deputy president Glenn Cuddy said it is “extremely worrying” that bluetongue has been circulcating more rapdily in Europe in recent months and was detected in Britain earlier in the year.
UFU deputy president Glenn Cuddy said: “Movement of all livestock ruminants from Britain to Northern Ireland is currently suspended due to these previous outbreaks.
“The last confirmed case in Britain was March 2024, but trade cannot resume for two years from when the last positive case was confirmed. This will help to minimise infected animals coming into Northern Ireland.
“Bluetongue is a serious threat to NI farms and the wider agri-food industry. At the moment, no vaccines have been approved for bluetongue that can be used in Northern Ireland.”
If bluetongue was confirmed locally, Cuddy said the regulations may change, but right now the priority must be “doing what we can and acting responsibly to prevent the disease from entering our region”.
Bluetongue
With bluetongue circulating across Europe, Cuddy said it is vital that livestock are not imported from infected areas and urged farmers to “seriously consider” the risk to their farm business before they carry out a purchase in Europe.
“Safe measures have been put in place to help control cattle movements from Europe and post-import checks will be carried out on all cattle which enter Northern Ireland from Europe,” he said.
“Rigorous monitoring is also in place including movement restrictions, quarantine procedures, insecticide treatment and post-import testing.
“All of which must be adhered to. If an imported animal is found to be infected, the animal will be culled and the farmer will not receive compensation.”
Although bluetongue has not been detected in Northern Ireland, the UFU is urging farmers to be aware of the signs and symptoms.
“Clinical signs of bluetongue are high fever, lameness, inflamed mucous membranes of the mouth and nose,” Cuddy said.
“This includes sores and ulceration, swollen neck and head, profuse salivation and nasal discharge. Animals may also appear stiff and be reluctant to move due to swelling around the hooves.
“Bluetongue is a notifiable disease and it’s vital that any suspected cases are immediately reported to DAERA. The animals thought to be infected should be isolated and kept indoors to reduce the risk of further transmission.”
