Dairy farmers in Britain who have not yet vaccinated against bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) are being urged to do so, with vets warning that midges are still active and the disease will overwinter, Farmers Weekly reports from a briefing at UK Dairy Day in Telford.

"Everybody in England should consider themselves at risk," said UK chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss. "With the warm weather we are still seeing, midges are still active, and I don't think we're at the peak of infection yet." The NFU's chief animal health adviser, Cat McLaughlin, said the disease is on the move and reminded farmers that it is notifiable. Its signs resemble foot-and-mouth disease, present in parts of mainland Europe, so reporting matters.

Josh Swain, a vet at Synergy Farm Health in south-west England, one of the worst-hit regions, said immunity takes several weeks and vaccinated herds have had fewer problems. He expects calves with birth defects in five to six months and urged farmers worried about fertility effects to vaccinate: "Bluetongue will have a bigger impact."

Dairy farmer Sophie Gregory vaccinated her cows but not her youngstock and called that a mistake: three heifers calving into the herd were infected, two of which will never reach their potential. "The cost of the vaccine would have been less than what I will lose," she said.

Middlemiss said private vets can now confirm cases on clinical judgement without laboratory sampling, unless foot-and-mouth is suspected. Supply is improving, with 3.5 million doses arriving in Britain in August and another 3 million on the way. With midges expected to overwinter, vets warn of earlier and wider infection next year.

Photo: Scott Bauer, USDA ARS / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Source: Farmers Weekly