Scottish minister slams bluetongue zone increase

Fears have been raised that extending bluetongue restrictions to the whole of England may have increased the risk of the virus spreading beyond its borders.

Officials have been accused of acting unilaterally on the issue, amid concerns about the loss of effective buffer zones separating Scotland and Wales from the previously restricted areas.

Closely engaging

However, Defra has insisted it is closely engaging with the devolved governments and other stakeholders on the issue.

Since the start of July, the whole of England has been classed as a restricted zone for bluetongue in a move the department claimed would free up resources to deal with other disease threats.

As of 8 August, 11 BTV-3 cases had been confirmed since then, all in England, and the risk of further transmission is considered by officials to be very high.

But while he praised the work of their chief vet Sheila Voas, Scottish agriculture minister Jim Fairlie said the extension had created both political and trading challenges for the Holyrood administration.

He said: “In terms of England unilaterally making a decision that, all of a sudden, the whole country was going to be a zone, that left us with some problems.

“We’ve managed that largely through the efforts of Sheila and her team to make sure there are workable solutions.

“I’m confident that we’ll be able to manage [an outbreak], but I really wish that they hadn’t done it, and they had better conversations with Sheila and her team before making that decision because there could have been a buffer.”

Mr Fairlie’s comments reflect similar concerns raised at a recent AHDB webinar about the potential impact on herds and flocks in Wales, who have also seen the English restrictions extended to the border.

But a Defra spokesperson said: “This Government’s commitment to maintaining the country’s biosecurity in the face of the mounting risks of animal disease is unwavering – we will do whatever it takes to protect our farmers and economy.

“We continue to closely engage with devolved governments and stakeholders on disease controls.”

Devolved issue

The department also stressed disease control is a devolved issue, though a core group from all UK administrations was working specifically on bluetongue and a broader Animal Disease Policy Group sought to provide “a consistent and coordinated response” wherever possible, it added.

Meanwhile, new rules which are due to come into force on Monday 18 August will allow Welsh livestock that have completed a vaccination course against BTV-3 to be taken to specific markets within 20km of the English border.

But Mr Fairlie claimed he could see a “revert to type” in the UK Government’s approach to Scotland, despite hopes of a reset in relations following Labour’s election victory last year.

He said it was “simply unacceptable” that the political and industrial desire within Scotland for the introduction of ultra-high frequency electronic tagging for cattle was not being prioritised in Whitehall and warned there were other similar problems.

He added: “If it’s a priority to Scotland, therefore it should be treated as a priority and currently I’m not seeing that happening.”

However, Defra said its new electronic identification requirements for newborn calves, which are due to come into force in 2027, were “a major step forward” for both trade and disease control.

It also claimed officials were “continuing to engage closely” with devolved administrations during negotiations for a widely sought sanitary and phytosanitary agreement with the EU.