Bluetongue Stakeholder Meeting – 15 May 2009

Industry stakeholders received a presentation assessing the risk and cost / benefit analysis around the potential of making Scotland a “Bluezone”.

This is not about all become Rangers supporters. Bluezone status would allow animals vaccinated for Bluetongue 8 (BTV8)to be imported from Protection Zones, subject to carrying out surveillance measures such as random blood testing of cattle prior to import.

The EC recognises the different levels of disease within the UK and are willing to consider a proposal from Scotland. England and Wales are currently not in a position to apply for bluezone status due to having circulating BTV8 in 2007, so the option is for a Scotland only Bluezone.

This would mean stricter controls on animals moved from England and Wales to Scotland e.g. all animals would need to be vaccinated prior to movement.

The surveillance requirements for a bluezone would include testing around 50 farms per month for 6 months of the year and testing 15 animals on each farm.

The economic impact of a bluezone requires the examination of the costs of
1 The number of animals brought from the rest of GB into Scotland
2 The cost associated with the active surveillance including laboratory testing and the time the keepers need to spend gathering animals.
3 The risk of bluetongue infected animals being imported into Scotland.

If Scotland decided to apply for bluezone SFMTA and SAMW are concerned that this would place a trade barrier at the Scottish border that was removed by Scotland when a Protection Zone was declared on 3rd November 2008.

In 2007 39131 cattle came north for slaughter in Scotland; 160,195 sheep and 3201 dairy cattle.

SAMW and SFMTA opposed bluezone because of concern over very probable reduced throughput for Scottish abattoirs and increased price pressure on Scottish produced livestock for slaughter.

Bluetongue 1 (BTV1) has a hold in SW France, Brittany and in an area adjacent to the Swiss border. Given the high levels of BTV8 vaccination in Scotland (enough BTV8 vaccine has been sold to dose 99% of Scottish livestock), the risk to the UK of Bluetongue is now greater for BTV1. A Bluezone would not do anything to reduce the threat of BTV1, in fact because of the ease of movement of animals a Bluezone would actually increase the risk of BTV1 coming to Scotland.

Fiona Spencer for the Scottish Government summed up the feeling of the stakeholder meeting. There are two different perspectives but they both share concern to continue to secure the benefits of the BTV8 vaccination campaign. Farming organisations want a Bluezone to secure the benefits of the vaccination programme in Scotland. The major issue revolves around potential impact on trade and the difficulty that poses for processors and butchers.

She suggested that the Scottish Government might encourage the Bluezone surveillance principles over the summer and if the balance of evidence leads to rejecting Bluezone status since it didn't give enough of a positive impact to Scotland, then high health needs to be pursued. The next step is to give advice to the Cabinet Secretary.