SBV already wreaking havoc on farms
Farmers up and down the country have already reported losses and deformities due to the Schmallenberg virus (SBV), despite the lambing season only just beginning.
On Tuesday (January 1), Ben Stanley, a farmer at Woodhouse Farm, Derbyshire, began lambing 20 ewes and reported a loss of 30 per cent of his lambs. He described some lambs to have "extraordinary" deformities and said they were difficult to pull out.
He currently has 280 sheep left to lamb and describes not knowing whether they will be affected as "a nightmare".
Stanley continued: “Everyone has always had deformed lambs, but to pull them out one after another is absolutely heart-breaking. It’s very frustrating and an emotional rollercoaster - not to mention the financial implications.”
Charles Marwood, a York Charollais breeder from Whenby, reported 23 per cent of his lambs as severely deformed. However, is grateful that he has not yet lost an ewe, unlike many other farmers he has spoken to.
Marwood believes the sheep may have delivered the infected lambs more easily after taking a liquid mineral just before lambing.
He commented: “It’s still very early to say what the impact will be. We are lambing again in March and are more optimistic those ewes wouldn’t have been bitten in the critical stage.”
Defra reports SBV has been detected on 1,000 farms since it first hit in 2011. The midge-bourne virus had spread "quickly and effectively" across every county of England, Wales, and up to the Scottish borders.
Despite this, Defra still considers SBV to be a "low impact" disease.
BSAVA is to partner with BVA Live (11-12 June 2026) to champion clinical research.
