More bad news for British farmers

24 September 2007, by Heavens Paradox

If foot & mouth wasn’t bad enough, there are now fears of an outbreak of bluetongue disease in Suffolk. Bluetongue has spread from Africa into Europe over recent years, but this is the first reported case in the UK.

The Bluetongue virus can affect cattle, sheep, goats and deer, giving the animals flu like symptoms. The carrier is a midge, and is transmitted from midge to animal & back again, it is not transmitted from animal to animal. While in some ways it is good news that one animal cannot catch it from another, it makes it very difficult to quarantine as midges don’t obey ‘Keep Out’ signs.

However, there is hope for Britain - surprisingly from our weather! The midges cannot breed in temperatures under 15C, and frost will kill the adults, so it is unlikely they will gain much of a foothold here. For once I’m actually hoping for an early start to winter!

Categories: Current Affairs, Environment