The livestock industry has come together to launch a nationwide survey to better understand the impact of bluetongue virus on UK farms.
Led by Fiona Lovatt of Flock Health, and the Ruminant Health & Welfare bluetongue working group, the survey is being conducted in collaboration with AHDB and the University of Nottingham and has the backing of key industry organisations.
“We know farmers across the country, in and out of the restricted zone, are at the coal face, dealing with daily challenges and disruption due to the BTV-3 outbreak,” said Ms Lovatt.
“We want to make sure their experiences and the impact on their animals are captured.”
The survey will provide a clearer picture of what is happening on UK farms so that we can better support affected farmers and prepare for the future.
Ms Lovatt continued: “We need to find out what level of clinical signs farmers are seeing in their animals, whether they are experiencing mortality with BTV-3 cases, and what their appetite is to vaccinate in future for bluetongue serotype 3.
“It’s important to note this survey is fully anonymous, so hopefully farmers feel they can share everything they have seen that might be relevant.”
The short online survey is open to all livestock farmers, whether they have experienced confirmed cases of bluetongue on their farm or not. It aims to gather data on the number of animals affected, the severity of clinical signs, and the wider impacts on farm businesses.
Ms Lovatt said: It’s crucial we listen to our farmers and learn from their experiences,” says Fiona. “Currently a lot of our learnings about the impact of BTV-3 are from our friends in the Netherlands who have had more cases so far, so it’s vital we understand if the UK situation differs at all.
“The data collected through this survey will be shared to help inform how the whole industry can best support those dealing with bluetongue, as well as informing preparations for next year’s midge season.”
The survey is accessible via mobile or desktop, takes around five minutes to complete with responses being fully anonymous. It is expected to remain open for several weeks, with the results being shared widely across the industry.
Farmers are urged to take part in the survey, which can be accessed, by clicking HERE.
