Farmers and the industry must remain Aware, apply Caution and use evidence-based Tactics to ACT and mitigate against the latest strain BTV-3.
Following a technical AHDB meeting with the support of Ruminant Health & Welfare, Lesley Stubbings, sheep consultant and SCOPS advisor said: “The fact is, a single bite from a single infected midge will reliably transmit BTV-3.
“This means that trying to control midges is futile and is not going to impact on the risk of BTV-3 transmission. It is crucial that we ACT with this knowledge in mind.
“We’re recommending that farmers are aware of the facts and avoid misinformation to prevent unnecessary actions and costs.”
Ms Stubbings continued: “As an emerging new strain of bluetongue, with no vaccine currently available, the industry is taking learnings from research, science and our EU counterparts, who experienced clinical cases during 2023, to provide the most up-to-date advice and guidance.
“Many have questioned the role of insecticides in controlling midges and in controlling BTV-3 transmission. They are not the same. There needs to be clear distinction between midge control and BTV-3 control.”
Ms Stubbings said there is no evidence that insecticides can prevent infection as they do not kill Culicoides midges (the specific type of midge that transmits bluetongue) fast enough to prevent the first bite.
“Similarly, there is no evidence that insecticides prevent onward transmission of bluetongue and there is also no evidence that insect repellents (which deter insects), have any effect on the transmission of BTV-3,” she added.
“Therefore, the use of insecticides or repellents to try to prevent BTV-3 infection is not recommended. They may have detrimental effects on the environment as well as being an unnecessary cost.
“Farmers will not be able to significantly reduce the number of midges in a specific area, nor for long enough to prevent BTV-3 transmission.”
Currently, there are no products licensed for Culicoides midge ‘control’. Any products sold for this purpose would be off licence and the industry cautions that excessive use could cause negative environmental and ecological impacts as well as resistance in other parasites.
Ruminant Health & Welfare and AHDB has brought together experts right across the four nations, including scientists, research and veterinary professionals to ensure the right information is available for farmers.
They are advising farmers to ‘act’ on BTV-3 by being aware of how bluetongue is transmitted as a vector-borne disease, while providing caution against misinformation, and promoting evidence-based tactics on-farm.
- Awareness of how BTV-3 is transmitted as a vector-borne disease
- Caution against any misinformation, but instead view the latest facts
- Tactics on-farm to help with midge control must be evidence-based
In the UK, bluetongue, including BTV-3, is a notifiable disease, so anyone suspecting the disease must take action and report it to the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
