New cases of bluetongue Virus Disease confirmed
Pastor Dale Morgan
New cases of bluetongue Virus Disease confirmed*
The first case of the bluetongue virus in the North East of England has
been confirmed at a farm on Teesside.
The virus was detected in an imported cow near Middlesbrough, the
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.
Further tests are being carried out and the infected animal is to be culled.
The animal is from Lower Saxony, in Germany, and the virus was confirmed
through post-import testing carried out on all animals entering the UK.
The cow is expected to be culled on Friday to avoid it being passed on
to the local midge population, which spreads the disease.
There is no evidence that the virus is circulating in the area, and a
protection zone restricting the movement of animals has not been put in
place, Defra said.
Fred Landeg, acting chief veterinary officer, said: "Importers need to
carefully consider the potential risks to UK industry as a whole from
importing animals from bluetongue restricted zones."