Vet urges Defra to extend free BTV testing

A vet has urged government officials to increase the volume of free bluetongue testing available to farmers, warning other strains of the virus could otherwise be missed.

Under current protocols, Defra only funds the testing of three animals at locations where suspected clinical signs have been reported.

But Devon-based vet Jonathan Hobbs suggested the department should review that position during the latest AHDB-hosted webinar, on 2 September.

Missing strains

He asked: “If these symptoms continue into November and we’re relying on tests from July, are we not at risk of missing BTV-8 or other strains?”

Gordon Hickman, Defra’s head of exotic disease policy, insisted surveillance work would continue through the winter and urged farmers to report any changes in clinical signs because of the potential for other diseases.

But he stressed that any further testing beyond the funded three animals would need to be done privately.

Cases increasing

According to latest figures, 942 BTV-3 incidents have been confirmed in the UK since the start of July, with a further 2,360 potential cases currently under investigation.

Mr Hickman warned “the whole of England and Wales is at risk”, despite the emergence of certain hotspots for virus activity.

With cases also increasing in both Wales and Scotland, Mr Hickman also stressed temperatures were still high enough to allow onward transmission of the virus.

Growing fears

The session also heard fresh pleas for farmers to vaccinate their herds and flocks amid growing fears over the potential impact of the virus on fertility in the coming months.

Sheep Veterinary Society president Phillipa Page said there was “lots of evidence” to show vaccination did not negatively affect fertility based on widespread usage in Europe.

Mr Hobbs, a director of the North Park Veterinary Group, added that any impact the vaccine did have would be “insignificant” compared to the virus itself. But he also raised fears that the impact of the virus on cattle may be being overlooked amid most cases so far being reported in sheep.

He said: “My concern is this is being presented as a sheep disease and we’re taking our eye off the ball with cattle.”

Poor fertility

He also highlighted previous reports of dummy calves being delivered in East Anglia, adding: “I am quite concerned about what spring calving in general is going to look like.”

Emily Gascoigne, central regional lead for Synergy Farm Health, also warned of the potential for poor fertility in both beef and dairy herds, and argued clinicians should be “really clear” on when euthanasia would be the most appropriate course of action.

Mrs Page also appealed to farmers to seek help and support with the impact of treating sick animals on them.

She said: “The need to euthanise animals who aren’t responding is not a failure. That is good practice. There will be times where we need to end suffering.”