NFU Scotland has welcomed European-approved changes to GB’s health status with regards to the devastating livestock disease, Bluetongue, and has repeated its call for Scottish livestock farmers not to import animals from the Continent during the summer months

Moves to a Lower Risk Zone (LRZ) will go a long way to protecting GB from strain 8 of the Bluetongue virus (BTV8) by placing greater restrictions on livestock imports from Bluetongue-affected countries.   It also moves GB one step closer to disease-free status.

The LRZ comes into effect on 12 June, and will mean that any Bluetongue susceptible animals being brought in from other countries hit by BTV8 will have to meet more stringent vaccination conditions before importation. Critically, the change in status does not affect the ability of cattle and sheep farmers in GB to vaccinate, which the Union would encourage.

NFU Scotland has already called for Scottish livestock producers to continue to adhere to a voluntary ban on livestock imports from April until November of this year.  This corresponds with the high-risk period for the transmission of the Bluetongue virus.

NFU Scotland Vice-President Nigel Miller said:

"The GB-wide LRZ is a very positive development and one that gives the whole of GB  a  greater  degree of protection against importing this devastating disease, which is still circulating in parts of Europe,  to our shores. 

"In Scotland we remain disease-free, courtesy of a spectacularly high level of compliance with  our  compulsory  vaccination  programme  in 2009 and  the vast majority of our livestock producers supporting a  voluntary  ban  on  the  importation  of  livestock from Bluetongue affected areas of continental Europe as recommended by Scottish livestock stakeholders. 

"Recent imports of cattle to Scotland are a huge concern as veterinary advice puts importation as posing the greatest risk of introducing the disease.   The LRZ  status  will  offer  a  high degree of protection against  bringing  in  Bluetongue  but  no system is perfect and  I would continue to urge producers to think seriously about where they source their stock from in the future.  I would also urge Scottish livestock farmers to consider continuing with vaccination so that our level of frontline protection against BTV8 is preserved.

"Under  LRZ status, we have the additional reassurance that levels of surveillance  by respective administrations in GB will  continue.    This will allow us to react very quickly  were  we  to  find  ourselves in the situation where Bluetongue is once again found in GB livestock."  

Notes to Editors

• A Bluetongue Lower Risk Zone (LRZ) imposes tighter controls on animals brought into the country from other BTV8 protection zones.  From June 12, animals brought into Scotland, England and Wales must meet additional conditions.  These include:

-          vaccination plus 60 day wait

-          vaccination plus a test 14 days after onset of immunity

-          booster vaccination within time period of immunity

-          Pregnant animals will also have needed to meet vaccination conditions before insemination or mating.

• Reduction in disease status acts as the first step toward recognised disease freedom from Bluetongue.  In order to achieve LRZ status, additional surveillance is required, which will involve individually testing unvaccinated animals across the east and South east of England - the high-risk area for Bluetongue due to its proximity to the continent.
• Moves from Scotland to other countries which are free from BTV, or have zones for other BTV serotypes, have been made under strict ‘Annex 3’ conditions (i.e. annex 3 of the EU Bluetongue Regulations 1266/2007 (as amended)) unless they are moving direct to slaughter.   Once Scotland becomes a LRZ for BTV8, the rules for moves out of the country to BTV free or other BTV serotype zones will remain broadly the same, except for one key difference – whereas previously animals required vaccination plus a test, the test will no longer be required from June 12.  Movements out of Scotland, England and Wales to a BTV8 free area would not require insecticide treatment.

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Contact Bob Carruth on 0131 472 4006