Ruminant Health & Welfare (RH&W) is advising farmers to remain extremely vigilant to bluetongue following recent cases of the emerging BTV-3 strain near Canterbury in Kent.
RH&W emphasises the need to follow the legislation on restrictions on animal movements. Farmers in and around the Temporary Control Zone (TCZ) in Kent, can now access and call a dedicated bluetongue hotline to get advice or ask questions linked to the current situation.
- All farmers and keepers of animals can access the bluetongue hotline: 024 77710386
- NFU members can also access the CallFirst hotline: 0370 845 8458
The bluetongue hotline is available 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday and has been set up to support farmers affected following the confirmed cases near Canterbury, Kent. Farmers will be signposted to the RH&W bluetongue hub for the most up-to-date bluetongue information, Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) for queries relating to surveillance testing and Defra for details on available licenses for any animal movements.
Surveillance is on-going in the TCZ says Dr Joseph Henry BVMS Cert SHP MRCVS, chair of the RH&W bluetongue working group and president of the Sheep Veterinary Society: “If you farm animals in or around the TCZ, or are a smallholder with sheep, cattle or camelids, please do ensure you are registered with your paperwork up-to-date, to allow routine disease surveillance to be undertaken so we can build an accurate picture of the disease situation.”
For more information about registering, please visit www.gov.uk. For the latest advice on legislation around animal movements and licenses, please visit ruminanthw.org.uk.
In the UK, bluetongue,including BTV-3, is a notifiable isease, so anyone suspecting the disease must take action and report it to the APHA. Further information on clinical signs and resources can be found at: https://ruminanthw.org.uk/bluetongue-virus/
Picture caption: Dr Joseph Henry BVMS Cert SHP MRCVS, chair of the RH&W bluetongue working group
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Further reading:
Read more about bluetongue here
