SURVEILLANCE FOR BLUETONGUE is being ramped up in the Republic after two cases were confirmed in the North.

Bluetongue is a disease which is mainly spread by biting midges and affects sheep, cattle, and other ruminants such as deer and goats.

Though it does not affect people or food safety, outbreaks can result in prolonged animal movement and trade restrictions.

Two suspected cases discovered in a herd of cattle near Bangor in Co Down have tested positive for the virus and a further 44 suspected cases have been identified in the same herd.

Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon described the confirmed cases in the North as “most unfortunate”.

He said farmers “will be rightly concerned” and warned that “if bluetongue becomes established in any part of the island, it presents a threat of spreading to other areas next spring and summer”.

While Heydon said his Department has been carrying out “intensive surveillance” for bluetongue for two years, that surveillance is now being “ramped up in light of this finding”.

“If bluetongue does arrive here, my goal is clear: to find it quickly and to eradicate it if possible, so as to protect Irish livestock and Irish farmers from the losses which this disease causes.”

And while Heydon noted that Bluetongue does not have any implications for food safety or human health, he said it “does have a real impact on farmers whose flocks or herds are affected”.

He pointed to “the financial and emotional stress which accompanies the animal health and welfare consequences”.

He added that because bluetongue is spread by midges, the disease spread is much less likely in the winter and early spring months.

The enhanced surveillance actions being taken include on-farm surveillance blood sampling of cattle and sheep and testing livestock submitted to Regional Veterinary Laboratories.

It also includes the sampling of cattle routinely slaughtered at meat plants and farmers and verts are encouraged to report any suspect cases to their Regional Veterinary Office.  

Further information on bluetongue disease is available on the Department’s website here.