DARD's Chief Veterinary Officer Bert Houston has told Farming Life that the current spell of good weather brings with it the increased risk of Bluetongue getting a foothold on the island of Ireland.
"Midges are the vector for the disease," he stressed.
"And with their populations now rocketing as a result of the rise in temperatures over recent days, all it would take is one imported Bluetongue-affected animal to destroy all the good work that
has been put in by the entire livestock industry in keeping the disease at bay.
"So the advice is simple. We are now in an official vector period, so don't import livestock from Bluetongue restricted areas."
Bert Houston went on to point out that the threat of importing the disease courtesy of midges blown in from Bluetongue restricted areas in GB or further afield in Europe is lower than by importing livestock from restricted areas.
"The real threat centres on the importation of livestock," he stressed.
"It's up to everyone working within the livestock industry to act responsibly. The impact of a Bluetongue outbreak on the Irish livestock industry would be dramatic. Apart from the actual production losses incurred there will be the additional costs associated with a vaccination campaign. Bluetongue is also a notifiable disease and DARD has the power to compulsorily slaughter affected imported animals without compensation."
The chief veterinary officer also confirmed that some countries may stop accepting dairy and other livestock-related products from Northern Ireland in the wake of a Bluetongue outbreak.
There are now two main forms of the disease in Europe: the BTV8 and BTV1 variants. The latter has recently gained a foothold in France.
"Different vaccines will be required to deal with the threat posed by the different forms of the disease, thereby adding to the complication of a vaccination campaign, should we be forced to go down that road," stressed Bert Houston.
He also confirmed that 2,500 animals, mostly sheep, were imported from Bluetongue Restricted areas into Northern Ireland earlier this year.
"These importations took place when midge numbers were at extremely low levels," concluded the Chief Veterinary Officer.
"This is not the case at the present time. The impact of importing just one Bluetongue affected animal onto these shores would be catastrophic. So why take the chance?"
