Regional support in bluetongue protection

The National Farmers' Union in the West Midlands has launched the second wave of the joint campaign against bluetongue, JAB.

The campaign aims to protect the region's livestock industry against the disease which if left unchecked has the potential to devastate the industry.

The region has escaped from the disease so far but the threat is still present and booster jabs are needed as well as the vaccination of animals that have not yet been protected.

National Farmers' Union food and farming adviser Peter Garbutt, based at the regional office in Telford, Shropshire, is urging farmers and livestock keepers not to delay and to protect their animals ahead of turnout. "Although bluetongue disease is not in the West Midlands for the virus to be controlled then owners must act now to protect their stock and their future livelihoods. As we've seen on the continent, where vaccination was delayed, bluetongue remains a serious threat to livestock.

"The message is clear, vaccination is a price worth paying, and farmers should act now to ensure their animals are protected."

Bluetongue is transmitted by midges and cannot be transmitted directly between animals, but as the weather gets warmer and the midge population becomes more active so does the threat.

Sheep are most severely affected but cattle, although infected more frequently than sheep, do not always show symptoms.

Animals vaccinated in 2008 will need booster jabs and unvaccinated sheep need a single dose and cattle require two doses, a few weeks apart.

Regional development agency Advantage West Midlands has backed the second phase of the JAB campaign and £7,500 has been spent on a hard-hitting advertising campaign and thousands of campaign cards will be sent out to farmers and livestock keepers in the weeks ahead.

Livestock holders will also be made aware of JAB at future meetings by the regional NFU policy team.

Livestock keepers within the West Midlands are urged to speak with their vets to discuss their vaccine requirements and to spread the message among their neighbours and those with smaller flocks and herds. Information on bluetongue and the campaign is on a number of individual websites including www.nfuonline.com

The disease can cause deaths, stillbirths and reduced productivity in cattle and sheep. Offspring of infected animals can be born with the virus and often die.

Bluetongue does not affect people.

The first outbreak of bluetongue in 2007 in the South East led to the cancellation of the inaugural English Winter Fair at the County Showground, near Stafford.

Farmers in Staffordshire were among the first in the country to be able to vaccinate their animals against the disease last year.

The county is part of the West Midlands "protection zone" set up by Defra.

The first case of the disease in the UK was in a Highland cow on a rare breeds farm near Ipswich, Suffolk, in September 2007.