What is Bluetongue?

In a nutshell, it is a disease spread by biting midges.  It is name is derived from one of its symptoms which is primarily seen in sheep.  Their mouth can become full of ulcers and can swell, which causes the purpling of their lips, gums and tongue.   It can be spread amongst sheep, cattle, deer, goats and even llamas and alpacas.  It is a virus, which means it invades and attacks the body.  It hits had and fast and can be hard to spot in the early stages with symptoms such as you commonly see with any infection, lethargy, high temperatures, lack of appetites and affected bowels movements.  It does then spread to the eyes and mouth where ulcers, sores and redness show.  It is not contagious and does not affect food safety.   There have been cases of dogs contracting the disease too, but only when coming into direct contact with the affected – such as eating the afterbirth of an infected animal.

Why is it so bad?

Bluetongue is very nasty, and as it is viral, there is no cure.  death rates can reach 70% in sheep and it spreads through the carriers, in this case the midges, biting and infecting others.  In a particular area, it can spread quickly, much in the same way that malaria spreads.   This is why restriction zones are put in place by DEFRA, to slow the spread and allow livestock farmers to identify symptoms before it spreads too far.  

Where does it come from?

It comes from warmer climates where midges thrive.  Africa, Asia, South America and Australia are all places where the specific insect species are most prevalent.  In this case, experts think it has come over from warmer parts of Europe.  If you look down when walking through a grassy field, you will see the midges, gnats and daddy-longlegs in the grass.  The current warm but wet weather is very favorable to them.  Luckily, this outbreak has happened at the end of summer.  Hard frost and low temperatures for a sustained period would kill off the midges carrying the disease and stop the spread.

But it has come at a key time for British Farmers.  A poor spring meant it was hard for arable farmers to get the crops in the ground and unstable weather has meant that a good harvest could not be guaranteed.  Now with Livestock farmers heading into their most important time, the selling of fat lambs and store cattle ahead of winter, Bluetongue emergence is a crisis.  The local market closures have been announced and all movement of cattle in and out of the restricted zone is prohibited.

Interesting though is the general mood as DEFRA announce restriction zones.  I have heard more than a handful of disgruntled farmers argue that this is just another nail in the coffin for British farming and that this the aim of the British Government.   Some have even claimed a more sinister plot, as rumoured when foot and mouth broke out.  What do you think?