Bluetongue: convene rapid taskforce for urgent vaccination programme, Lib Dems say
The calls come with at least 825 confirmed cases of bluetongue and more than 2,400 suspected cases, which are waiting for test results to come back.
The Government must urgently convene a rapid taskforce to lead on bluetongue vaccination as the animal disease continues to spread across the country, the Liberal Democrats have said.
Leader Sir Ed Davey also called on the Government to inject £1bn into agriculture to prevent a mounting food security crisis, after an exceptionally dry spring and summer which could produce the worst harvest on record.
Speaking from a farm in Cumbria, Sir Ed said: “British farmers are facing a terrible perfect storm this year.
“The bluetongue outbreak is devastating our livestock sector, yet farmers are being left to navigate this crisis without the fundamental backing of their own government. We need a Bluetongue taskforce in place immediately.
“It is frankly an outrage that England is the only country in Europe where the farm payments system fails to support food production.
“My party would solve this by committing an additional £1bn funding for farmers.
“Burnham has already shown he does not understand our rural communities, but they cannot wait for Whitehall to wake up.”
The calls come with at least 825 confirmed cases of bluetongue and more than 2,400 suspected cases, which are waiting for test results to come back.
The vast majority are in the South West, however positive cases have now been confirmed in North, West and East Yorkshire, with more coming every day.
An Environment Department (Defra) spokesperson said: “We are working with vaccine manufacturers to increase vaccine supplies so that farmers who have not already done so can vaccinate their livestock.”
Sheep face the highest risk of illness and death, while milk and meat from infected animals remain safe to eat.
The intervention comes following a debate in Parliament yesterday on the dangers of bluetongue.
Shadow Farming Minister Robbie Moore told the Commons: “Bluetongue is spreading across Britain at an unprecedented rate, devastating livestock businesses and putting farming families under immense financial and emotional pressure.
“I thank our vets and those on the frontline in addressing the spread of the virus.
“There are more than 2,500 potential cases still under investigation, yet farmers and vets are being forced to wait up to three weeks for blood test results, leaving the livestock sector without a real-time picture of the outbreak.
“Why was testing capacity not significantly increased over the summer period, and when will Ministers clear that backlog? In hotspot areas, will a proportionate risk-based approach be adopted?”
Farming Minister Stephen Morgan said: “This is an incredibly difficult time for livestock keepers, veterinary professionals and those who are working directly on the impact of the bluetongue outbreak.
“Responding to outbreaks is at the core of the work of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and we will continue to use tried and tested methods to address this challenge.
“Vaccination remains the most effective and viable short and long-term control measure against bluetongue, both for this season and in the future,” he added.
“Defra and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate are working closely with manufacturers to monitor availability and taking proactive steps to ensure that additional vaccine stocks are made available as quickly as possible.”
A Defra spokesperson said: “As the Prime Minister has said, food and farming is part of national resilience and we’re acting now to support the sector.
“Our £65m support package is just a first step towards helping farmers build drought resilience.
“We are listening and understand how difficult times are, and we will keep working closely with farmers to protect and promote British farming.”