Bluetongue Impacts Continue in France as UK Farmers on Alert

France has continued to report more outbreaks of Bluetongue in the past month, with eight outbreaks reported on 11 March, three outbreaks on 18 March, and one on 25 March.

In all, there were 23 cases in cattle across these outbreaks, out of a susceptible population of over 3000.

The outbreaks occurred in the Puy-de-Dôme, Loire, Nièvre and Ariège regions - click here to read more.

In the UK, farmers have been urged to remain vigilant, as the chance of the disease spreading is said to be high.

There is an 80 per cent risk of Bluetongue reaching the UK by September this year, according to Defra.

National Farmers’ Union (NFU) livestock board chairman Charles Sercombe said: “There is quite strong evidence that Bluetongue could move to southern parts of the UK by late summer, not dissimilar to the way it moved into East Anglia back in 2007.

“As livestock farmers we should be talking to our vets now about the disease and considering our business options, including vaccination which would be a voluntary, protective measure.”

Although there is no vaccine available for UK farmers at the moment, the NFU has said it is working on the issue - read more.

In market news, FrieslandCampina and Müller have both said this week they will soon be reducing milk prices paid to farmers again.

Lyndsay Chapman, Agriculture Director of Müller Milk & Ingredients said: “Market returns continue to be severely depressed creating an increasingly difficult trading environment as we approach the peak period of milk production.

“Milk prices reflect the balance of supply and demand and all of us in the dairy sector desperately need a significant improvement in this balance to generate better returns.” -read more.