Regional veterinary offices (RVOs) around the country will contact all farmers who imported cattle from Great Britain (GB) since the start of October in a tracing effort to protect against bluetongue virus (BTV).

Movements of ruminant animals from Great Britain to the island of Ireland have been suspended.

On November 10, a single case of bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) was confirmed in a cow in Kent, in the south-east of England.

The UK's Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is taking measures to ensure that the risk of spread of the disease is reduced, with movement restrictions in place at the affected premises.

As a result of this confirmed outbreak in England, all moves of ruminant animals and their germinal products (semen, embryos) from Great Britain to Ireland (including Northern Ireland) are temporarily suspended.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is undertaking tracing of all cattle and sheep movements from Great Britain into Ireland since October 1.

Relevant RVOs will be in contact with livestock owners who have imported cattle or sheep from Great Britain since October 1 in order to arrange surveillance testing.

Ireland is currently free of bluetongue virus, which is a viral disease of ruminants and camelids (camels, alpacas, llamas, etc.) that continues to be of widespread concern across mainland Europe.

Bluetongue does not affect human health or food safety. However, if bluetongue virus entered Ireland it would have "serious trade implications for live animals and germinal products", the department here said.

Bluetongue virus is spread by infected midges (culicoides species) which are present in Ireland and are generally most active between April and November.

The disease could spread to Ireland through import of infected animals, infected foetuses or wind dispersal of infected midges from mainland Europe. The virus can also be transmitted via infected germinal products (semen, ova and embryos).

There is currently no EU-approved vaccine against bluetongue serotype 3 and it is not yet known if vaccines against other bluetongue serotypes can provide protection.

A number of different bluetongue serotypes are currently circulating in Europe:

September: The Netherlands confirmed cases of BTV-3 in northern regions. Rapid spread has since affected most of the country. The Netherlands report that clinical signs in sheep are currently more severe than in cattle and goats. On some farms mortality rates are over 50%;
October 9: Belgium confirmed an outbreak of BTV-3 in sheep in Antwerp, close to the border with the Netherlands;
October 12: Germany confirmed an outbreak of BTV-3 in sheep in the town of Kleve on the Dutch border. And on October 20, BTV-3 was confirmed in sheep in the far northwest of the country, close to the Netherlands;
November 8: Spain confirmed 41 outbreaks of BTV-4 in cattle and sheep in the north and centre of the country.

The department has issued advice on how to prevent bluetongue entering Ireland.

Importers are advised to consider other ways to achieve desired genetic or breed changes (such as through artificial insemination) rather than importing bluetongue susceptible-animals from mainland Europe.

If animals are imported, they should be imported when midges are less active (December to March).

Other advice includes:

Only import animals, germinal or biological products from reputable sources. Animals from certain countries require vaccination against bluetongue prior to import. Proof of vaccination status should be obtained;
Ensure the animals are bluetongue virus-free before they leave the exporting country by requesting a pre-export PCR test for the virus;
Isolate imported animals indoors as soon as they arrive onto your holding and monitor them closely for any signs of illness;
Ensure all imported animals from mainland Europe are visited by an RVO vet within five days of arrival into Ireland.