Farm bluetongue 'vigilance' call

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Farmers in Wales have been urged to be extra vigilant after official confirmation of the first UK outbreak of bluetongue disease.

Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones called it very worrying, but stressed there was no evidence of it in Wales.

Five cases of the disease have so far been found in Suffolk and Norfolk.

Brecon and Radnorshire Liberal Democrat MP Roger Williams said officials should not underestimate the threat posed to Welsh agriculture.

Mr Williams, who is a farmer, said: "Any spread to Wales would have a huge effect on Welsh agriculture, because of the importance of the sheep industry in Wales.

"Sheep are particularly badly affected by the disease, with 30-70% mortality rates. If a bluetongue outbreak is confirmed, we need movement restrictions to ensure the spread of the disease is halted."

There are no cases of bluetongue in Wales and that's how we hope it will remain Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones

Defra has set up a protection zone of a minimum of 150km (93 miles) around the infected premises in Suffolk where bluetongue has been found.

A stricter 20km (12.4 miles) control zone has also been set up around the known bluetongue cases, with restrictions preventing animals being moved out of both zones.

Ms Jones said: "There are no cases of bluetongue in Wales and that's how we hope it will remain."

She said officials from the Welsh Assembly Government were in "hourly contact" with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) over both foot-and-mouth - of which there has been a separate outbreak in south-east England - and bluetongue.

Ms Jones said they were looking closely at weather patterns and were hoping that the midges which have brought bluetongue to the UK had now "blown over".

Vaccination

She said they were also now looking forward to a cold winter which would help kill off the disease and prevent its re-emergence next year.

Ms Jones said there was already a "heightened awareness" among farmers about the possibility of foot-and-mouth disease and she urged them to regularly check for symptoms of bluetongue as well.

She said a vaccination which would tackle the strain of bluetongue now imported into the UK was anticipated to be ready by the middle of next year.

Farmers' Union of Wales president Gareth Vaughan said it was a great relief Wales had no confirmed or suspect cases of bluetongue disease to date.

"Even before Defra's announcement earlier today we were working closely with the Welsh Assembly Government to monitor the situation and we sincerely hope midges, who carry this terrible disease, have been less active during this week's cold weather.

"They don't like high altitudes either, so we live in hope that the disease can be kept away from Wales."

The virus is spread by midges and affects cattle, sheep, goats and deer.

Animals with the disease experience discomfort, with flu-like symptoms, and swelling and haemorrhaging in and around the mouth and nose. They can also go lame and have difficulty eating.