Bluetongue virus detected in Co Wexford herd, minister says

An outbreak of bluetongue has been detected in County Wexford, the Minister for Agriculture has said.

On Saturday, Martin Heydon confirmed that the disease which affects livestock including cattle and sheep as well as goats, deer and llamas had been found in a herd.

Mr Heydon said: “This is unwelcome news but unfortunately it is not surprising, given the spread of this virus across Europe, Great Britain and recently Northern Ireland.

“I want to emphasise that bluetongue cannot infect people and does not pose any food safety or human health issue.

“This finding arose from the routine ongoing surveillance my department has been carrying out, so that we can find the disease as early as possible.”

He also extended his sympathies to the affected farmer.

The minister said the virus is unlikely to spread widely at the moment, because of low temperatures.

It is carried by infected midges and does not replicate when temperatures are below 12C.

Mr Heydon said the outbreak will have an impact on exports of cattle and sheep “with additional costs and logistical issues required in order to comply with the rules set by the countries of destination”.

He said there are no implications for meat and dairy exports to the EU, UK and most other international markets.

He added: “My department has been actively negotiating revisions to many trade certs for third countries so that the impact of any outbreak would be minimised, and that work will continue after this news.”

A vaccine for the virus is being introduced in Ireland this year.

Mr Heydon made the announcement in December after suspected cases were found on four farms in County Down.

He described it as a “valuable tool” to protect cattle and sheep against the disease.

Adding that the “high risk” period will be this summer, he said farmers could consider whether to use the vaccine this spring to “protect their stock in advance of any midge-borne virus spread in the warmer months”.

In a statement, the Irish Farmers’ Association said the detection of bluetongue in Wexford is “very disappointing”.

President Francie Gorman said: “The highest level of vigilance is needed across the sector.”

He added that “restrictions only apply on the farm in question”, which means “farmers can continue to market animals within the country while exercising the maximum level of vigilance”.

The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) said the “overriding priority” should be to contain the outbreak, and said farmers should take the Department of Agriculture’s biosecurity advice.

In a statement,its president Denis Drennan said the news was “hugely worrying for the family concerned”.

He said his organisation had met with the department on Saturday and was “satisfied that a whole sector strategy is going into place on this issue”.

“Everyone and every effort must be directed towards supporting that,” he added.