Latest information on Bluetongue controls
| This news story was last substantively updated on 2 November 2007. For later news on this story please see Defra's news story index and/or our Bluetongue website pages. |
Update 17:00 2 November
New EU rules on Bluetongue come into effect today amending existing rules on controls, monitoring, surveillance and movements of ruminants.
The names of the existing zones will change. The current Bluetongue Control Zone will become known as the Protection Zone and the current Protection Zone will become known as the Surveillance Zone. There are no changes to the size or shape of the zones.
The rules on the movement of animals within the Bluetongue zones will not change but the specific conditions which must be met to allow the move are being amended in line with the new EU rules. New general licences are available from today, 2 November.
Detailed guidance is also being provided, but animal keepers must check that conditions can be complied with before making arrangements to move animals. This includes taking into account any Foot and Mouth Disease rules where the zones overlap. The new Bluetongue rules also affect exports of genetic material from ruminants and detailed guidance will be issued shortly.
Update 12:30 1 November
Secretary of State for the Environment, Hilary Benn, today announced that Defra is to issue a tender for a Bluetongue vaccine bank.
Defra will tender for between 10 and 20 million doses, subject to an assessment of the anticipated demand. Discussions on this are currently underway with the industry.
No suitable vaccine is currently available for the strain of Bluetongue circulating in England (serotype 8). However several companies have vaccines in development and these are expected to be available from next summer.
In keeping with the principles set out in the Bluetongue Control Strategy, which was developed in partnership with the farming industry, livestock keepers will be offered the opportunity to purchase vaccine from the bank.
Update 11:30 30 October
Defra has today published the first epidemiology report into the Bluetongue outbreak, based on the situation up to 19 October.
The report concludes that the infection was likely to have been initially introduced into Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex on the night of 4/5 August by windborne transmission of infected midges from continental Europe.
The report also describes the generally low morbidity, mortality and prevalence rates in infected animals. The majority of infected premises have only one infected animal and the prevalence is generally low.
Surveillance and testing are ongoing to gain an understanding of the geographical extent of the Bluetongue infection and to determine disease prevalence within herds and flocks.
- Read the epidemiological report
Update 8:40 30 October
Following a new case of Bluetongue in Cambridgeshire, Defra has merged the Bluetongue Control Zone in Peterborough with the Bluetongue Control Zone covering East Anglia, Kent and East Sussex. There is now one Bluetongue Control Zone, surrounded by a larger Protection Zone. The Protection Zone remains unchanged.
Update 15:50 24 October
Defra today confirmed the extension of the Bluetongue Control Zone in Kent and East Sussex, following a new case of Bluetongue in Sevenoaks.
As a result, the Control Zone covering parts of Essex and East Anglia will now merge with the Control Zone in Kent and East Sussex to become one single Control Zone. The Protection Zone has also been extended slightly in the South West of England. The Control Zone in the Peterborough area remains unchanged.
Update 8:30 24 October
Defra has confirmed the extension of the Bluetongue Control Zones following new cases of Bluetongue in East Sussex and Essex.
The boundary of the Kent/East Sussex Control Zone has been extended into Wealden District, and the East Anglia Control Zone now moves slightly south westwards into London. The Control Zone in the Peterborough area and the Protection Zone remain unchanged.
Update 12:45 19 October
The Control Zone in Kent is being extended into East Sussex following confirmation today of a case near Rye. The Bluetongue Protection Zone is also being slightly amended accordingly. This reflects the UK’s Bluetongue Control Strategy and EU legislation.
Bluetongue background
Following confirmation on 28 September that Bluetongue is circulating in East Anglia, Defra established a Bluetongue Control Zone and a Bluetongue Protection Zone where controls on the movements of affected animals apply.
On 17 October we adjusted the existing Bluetongue control zones, following confirmation of two new cases, one near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and one near Ashford, Kent. These cases are within the current Bluetongue Protection Zone which has also been extended accordingly.
- To find out if these control zones affect you, visit the Bluetongue pages on this website.
Fred Landeg, Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer said:
“This is obviously unwelcome news for the farming industry, however, given the nature of this disease and its means of spread, this is not entirely unexpected. We will carry out further investigations on these farms, and in the surrounding area to assess the disease situation and possible sources of incursion.
“Once again, we are grateful for the vigilance of farmers in reporting disease, and urge them to remain vigilant. We will continue to work with our core industry group to assess the disease situation and develop the disease control strategy in partnership with the farming industry.”
Further information
- For more information, including the latest figures on the number of Bluetongue cases and information on movements and licenses, visit the Bluetongue pages on this website.
- For information on the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in Surrey, visit the Foot and Mouth Disease pages on this website.
Page last modified: 2 November 2007 18:00
Page published: 18 October 2007