New areas added to bluetongue restricted zone
Parts of Wiltshire and Hampshire have been added to the restricted zone.
Part of Wiltshire and additional areas in Hampshire have been added to the bluetongue restricted zone after a case was detected in cattle just outside the zone in Hampshire.
The restricted zone now includes Bedfordshire, part of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, City of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, East Sussex, Essex, Greater London, part of Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, part of Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, part of North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, part of Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, part of Warwickshire, West Sussex, and part of Wiltshire.
Susceptible animals in the restricted zone, including sheep, cattle, goats, deer and other ruminants and camelids, must only be moved if it is absolutely essential. A specific licence is needed to move a susceptible animal from inside the restricted zone to outside of the zone.
A case outside the restricted zone was confirmed in a sheep in North Yorkshire on 17 November. The animal was traced to a premises in Suffolk and had been moved before movement restrictions applied. Restrictions have been placed on the affected premises and intermediate premises and checks are being carried out for signs of local transmission.
The number of cases during the current vector period currently stands at 162 in England and two in Wales linked to moved animals.
Bluetongue is a notifiable disease. Suspected cases must be reported on 03000 200 301 in England or 03003 038 268 in Wales. In Scotland, suspected cases should be reported to the local field services office. Suspected cases in Northern Ireland should be reported to the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or by contacting the local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.
A map of the restricted zone can be found here.
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Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
