SCOTTISH farmers have been warned that importing any cattle or sheep from France could put the health status of the entire domestic livestock industry at risk.
Bluetongue disease, a condition spread by midges, is now rife throughout much of mainland Europe, especially France.
The BTV8 strain, which arrived in the UK in late September 2007, has been controlled by a vaccination programme that covers vi
rtually all of England and Wales.
It will be some weeks yet before it is known whether a similar regime will be enforced north of the Border: that is the fervent wish of most farmers.
However, the big problem is that in France a new strain of the disease has been identified and it is spreading at an alarming rate. BTV1, which can cause a large number of fatalities in sheep and a huge drop in the productivity in cattle, appears to be resistant to the vaccines.
Over the summer months, there have been more than 8,000 incidences of BTV8 in France, but more pertinently, at least 200 cases of BTV1. This will be discussed today at Limoges, France, at a meeting being attended by all the major European Union sheep-producing member states and regions.
In relative terms, Scotland has one of the largest sheep industries in the EU and Nigel Miller, vice-president of NFU Scotland, told The Scotsman yesterday:
"The bluetongue control policy in France and its voluntary approach appears to have failed to prevent the disease from spreading. Both strains bring huge implications for the health and welfare of France's cattle and sheep."
It is permissible for UK farmers to import cattle and sheep from Europe. However, some rams from France and cattle from Germany have tested positive for bluetongue on arrival in the UK.
Miller said: "If any UK farmer proceeds with importations from abroad, they run the risk of bringing in either form of the disease.
"We would urge producers to make France a 'no-go area' and only consider importation once that country and the rest of Europe have demonstrated that both strains of the disease are under control."
The full article contains 361 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
