November 2007: A team of British farmers has been on a bluetongue fact-finding trip to France.
Duringthe three-day visit, the 15-strong NFU group visited five farms in thenorthern region of the country – an area which had hundreds of cases ofthe disease before it reached UK shores.
Working with the FrenchFarming Union – the FDSEA – NFU livestock advisers and members weretaken to sheep, beef and dairy farms to see first hand how the diseasewas affecting production and were shown cattle and sheep eithersuffering or recovering from the effects of being bluetongue positive.
Thetrip was designed to improve the NFU’s understanding of bluetongue forcommunication to membership by learning lessons from French farmers.
