Bluetongue Virus spreads from UK cattle to sheep*

By Richard Gray, Science Correspondent
Last Updated: 12:21am BST 14/10/2007

The bluetongue virus has hit the first flocks of sheep in Britain after
spreading to a total of 36 farms.

Sheep are more susceptible to the bluetongue virus

The virus had previously only been circulating among cattle, but it has
now been found in two flocks of sheep on farms in Suffolk.

Official figures handed to the World Animal Health Organisation reveal
that about 60 infected animals have now been found.

Sheep are more susceptible to the virus and up to 70 per cent of flocks
can be wiped out, although no sheep are believed to have died from the
virus yet.

The news comes as the Government is preparing to ease the restrictions
on moving livestock around the country.

Farmers, however, claim that the measures have come too late as they
already face a backlog of hundreds of thousands of animals waiting to go
to slaughter. Disease experts have also given warning that insects
carrying the bluetongue virus may be able to survive the winter inside
farm sheds and barns.

It was hoped that a cold winter would help eradicate the disease by
killing the midges that carry it from animal to animal, but the
conditions in northern mainland Europe last year were too mild to
prevent the virus from re-emerging to devastate flocks.

Epidemiologists are now carrying out urgent research to find out if
midges with the disease survived the winter by breeding inside shelters
used by livestock.

Vets at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have also
revealed that they expect the virus to continue spreading into December,
raising fears that it will reach areas of intense sheep farming where it
could decimate the industry.

Fred Landeg, deputy chief veterinary officer, said: "We can expect to
see more cases before the end of the midge season. There are now 36
premises known to be infected, clustered around the Ipswich and
Lowestoft area.

"Half of these have been reported by the farmers and the other half have
been picked up by surveillance testing."

The virus was confirmed to have spread out of the Suffolk area for the
first time last week as cases were discovered in neighbouring Essex.

The strict restrictions imposed as a result of the outbreak and foot and
mouth disease have caused chaos this autumn, a time that is normally one
of the busiest for livestock farmers as they send animals to market and
for slaughter while also preparing for the breeding season.

The Government has said that provided there are no further cases of foot
and mouth, many of the movement restrictions in place will be lifted on
Wednesday. In addition, animals will be allowed out of the bluetongue
zone if they are being sent directly to slaughter.

But Frank Langrish, who owns 10,000 sheep in Suffolk inside the 100 mile
bluetongue protection zone, said the changes had come too late for many
of his fellow farmers.

"The backlog of animals that need to go to slaughter is frightening," he
said. "As these lambs are grazing far later than they normally would, it
is leaving less food for the breeding ewes over the winter."

The devolved governments in Scotland and Wales have set up "welfare
disposal" schemes, where sheep trapped on hillsides by the restrictions,
are destroyed. Initially, there were fears that more than 500,000 would
have to be destroyed, but if the restrictions are lifted then the number
will be far lower.

There is no similar scheme in England and the National Farmers Union
(NFU) has insisted that there are currently no plans to cull animals on
welfare grounds.

Peter King, the NFU's chief livestock adviser, said: "The biggest
concern is the economic impact that this is having on the price of meat
at a time when farmers were already struggling with foot and mouth and
low market prices. It could have serious implications on the future
supply of British lamb.

"This particular strain of virus we have here is very different from the
kind that is typically found in north Africa," added Mr King.

"Over there it is possible to house animals to protect them, but that
doesn't seem to have a great deal of impact upon the midges which are
carrying the virus here."