The livestock industry have come together to launch a bluetongue survey aimed at understanding the impact of bluetongue variant 3 (BTV-3) on UK farms.
The survey is being conducted by Ruminant Health and Welfare bluetongue working group in conjunction with the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and the University of Nottingham, with Fiona Lovatt of Flock Health Limited leading the research.
“We know farmers across the country, in and out of the restricted zone, are at the coal face, dealing with daily challenges and disruption due to the BTV-3 outbreak.
“We want to make sure their experiences and the impact on their animals are captured,” Lovatt said.
The survey will primarily aim to collect data on the morbidity and mortality figures on UK holdings with a BTV3 diagnosis detected after August 2024 in a bid to gain clarity on the situation, which will then be used to inform future support systems for those affected.
The survey, which can be found online via Ruminant Health and Welfare’s website and can be completed under five minutes, is open to all livestock farmers, irrespective of whether they have experienced a confirmed case of the virus.
There is a particular emphasis on the interest levels in vaccination programmes to garner an indication of prospective engagement rates.
“We need to find out what level of clinical signs farmers are seeing in their animals, whether they are experiencing mortality with BTV-3 cases, and what their appetite is to vaccinate in future for bluetongue serotype-3.
“It’s important to note this survey is fully anonymous, so hopefully farmers feel they can share everything they have seen that might be relevant.
“It’s crucial we listen to our farmers and learn from their experiences. Currently a lot of our learnings about the impact of BTV-3 are from our friends in the Netherlands who have had more cases so far, so it’s vital we understand if the UK situation differs at all.
“The data collected through this survey will be shared to help inform how the whole industry can best support those dealing with bluetongue, as well as informing preparations for next year’s midge season,” Lovatt said.
The survey will be open for a number of weeks before the data will be configured and examined, the results of which will be made publishable in due course.
Industry stakeholders will avail of these results to design a comprehensive plan of action to tackle the virus’ prevalence in the country.
