Livestock face bluetongue threat

A potentially deadly livestock virus traditionally prevalent in tropical countries now threatens Ireland, a senior climate forecaster warned today.

Bluetongue disease which has long blighted Africa has been gradually spreading north through Europe and was last year discovered in the UK for the first time.

Some scientists believe climate change could be behind its spread as warmer temperatures have seen the biting insects which carry the virus appear in northern countries.

Ray McGrath, Met Éireann’s head of research, said Ireland has avoided being hit with the disease so far but that could change.

“Ireland hasn’t been affected by bluetongue,” he said.

“Bluetongue was more prevalent in the Mediterranean areas and it has now moved up to the more northern parts of Europe, Holland, Germany and last year it moved across the UK.

“The vectors for bluetongue are these little midges that become infected.

“We have avoided bluetongue but it is possible that the midges might be brought across here from the wind from the continent.”

Cattle, sheep, goats and deer can be infected, but the insect-borne virus is not thought to pose a risk to humans.

It is transmitted by the Culicoides imicola midge, and is passed from animal to midge, and from midge to animal, but is not transmitted from animal to animal.

Animals with the disease experience discomfort, with flu-like symptoms, and swelling and haemorrhaging in and around the mouth and nose.

Mr McGrath said the insects usually died off in the winter but as the climate warms they may begin to survive.

“It’s possible that in a warming climate that the midges may survive a winter and this may have implications for potential outbreaks of bluetongue in Ireland,” he said.

“So the changing climate may be more conducive to the spread of viruses.”

The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) said an outbreak of the disease would be devastating but added it was still unlikely to happen here as the UK outbreak was on the eastern side of England.

“It hasn’t spread to any degree westerly at all,” an IFA spokesman said.

“The actual infection is a good 200km away from the western coast of Britain.”

Until recently, outbreaks in European countries have been quite rare but since the late 1990s, reports of bluetongue in mainland Europe have been common events, moving steadily northwards.

It was found in the UK in September last year.