This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/hereford/worcs/7154032.stm

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Bluetongue found in imported cows Bluetongue found in imported cows
(20 minutes later)
The bluetongue virus has been detected in 20 imported cows in Worcestershire.The bluetongue virus has been detected in 20 imported cows in Worcestershire.
The animals from a farm near Worcester will be culled, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said. The farm near Worcester has been placed under restrictions and the cows will be culled, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) says.
The cattle were from a protection zone in the Netherlands. The virus was detected through routine testing. The virus was detected through routine testing of the cows, which were from a protection zone in the Netherlands.
No extra exclusions are being put in place, as there was no evidence the virus was circulating in the area, Defra said. Defra said that no extra exclusions were being put in place because there was no evidence that the virus is circulating in the area.
The farm is within the current bluetongue surveillance zone.
A Defra spokeswoman said it was "quite unusual" for new cases of bluetongue to be identified during the winter.
She said: "The disease is spread by midges - not by animal-to-animal - and midge activity is less at this time of year.
"Obviously we are looking into these cases and trying to find out how these animals got affected, but it is quite unusual."
In the past year the virus has affected livestock across Germany, Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Holland.