Latest news with #Bluetongue
Powys County Times
a day ago
- Health
- Powys County Times
Rules for cattle relaxed in the new Bluetongue rules
Cattle moving from England into Wales WILL be permitted if they are vaccinated for bluetongue, the Welsh Government says - but sheep must still be tested before crossing the border. In a new announcement on Friday, the Welsh Government confirmed it will allow cattle fully vaccinated with Boehringer Ingelheim's Bultavo-3 vaccine, to move under licence, from a Restricted Zone to Wales without a pre-movement test – however this will not apply to sheep. There has been outrage amongst Powys farmers about rules being brought in from July 1 which would mean that any sheep that crossed the Welsh border would require a test for the bluetongue virus. Tests for Bluetongue cost anywhere from £40-£70 per animal meaning some farmers would be faced with bills of tens of thousands to move livestock across the border for grazing or for going to market. The Welsh Government confirmed that 'all sheep must be pre-movement tested and require an accompanying licence to move into Wales to live from the Restricted Zone (RZ) in England, as no vaccine products currently meet the requirements for protecting sheep from BTV-3 to allow them to move out of the RZ.' Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, said: 'My goal at this stage remains to keep Bluetongue out of Wales for the benefit of our animals and those who keep them. 'The economic and farmer wellbeing concerns caused by dealing with severe Bluetongue are first and foremost in my mind. "I also want to allow more time to observe the severity of the disease in England, and for keepers to vaccinate their herds and flocks. Help support trusted local news Sign up for a digital subscription now: As a digital subscriber you will get Unlimited access to the Oswestry Advertizer website Advert-light access Reader rewards 'I have made clear the thinking behind my decision in the Senedd this week, but I want to keep it under review. Should the evidence change, and we need to alter the policy, we will revisit and review this in a dynamic way. 'Our shared priority over the coming weeks is to promote vaccine take-up. All representatives at the Roundtable I recently convened were unanimous in their support for vaccination as the best method of protecting livestock and reducing the impacts of Bluetongue." 'I cannot in all conscience invite Bluetongue into Wales, but we are prepared to adapt to the evolving disease situation.' In the announcement, the Welsh Government also confirmed that as a response to increased risk of Bluetongue, including 'temperatures that are consistent with the active transmission period,' these measures will come into force as of today (June 20) in relation to the current Restricted Zone in England, which covers the east of England.
Powys County Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Powys farmer faces £25,000 bill to move sheep across border
Powys farmers could be forced to pay up to £25,000 to move their sheep across the Welsh border in new rules expected to be brought in by the Welsh Government. In a move to tackle the Bluetongue virus the Welsh Government will not allow sheep or cattle to cross the Welsh border without it being tested for the virus which has been rife in Eastern England. Bo Herdman, who runs a farm in Painscastle also has 100 acres of grazing land and said the cost of moving sheep would be prohibitive. 'To bring those sheep home it would cost me somewhere between £24,000 to £25,000,' said Bo. 'I cannot afford to do it.' This is made more complicated by the fact that the land in England is on a flood plain meaning he sometimes has to move the sheep in a matter of hours. Bo is also concerned with trading as he currently trades in Hereford and Talgarth Livestock markets. He expects prices for breeding rams to be 'absolutely astronomical' as stocks will be low without English livestock, adding: 'Selling in England isn't a no-go but it is now a massive gamble." He told the County Times that he has serious concerns about grazing, which has been complicated by dry spells over the previous 18 months 'Fodder is in short supply, sheep ordinarily go over the border in autumn and come back to lamb,' said Bo. 'Now they can't go. So we are building up a massive welfare problem. 'I am petrified. I was seeing the sheep in England this morning and I was thinking what the hell am I going to do with these sheep?' Help support trusted local news Sign up for a digital subscription now: As a digital subscriber you will get Unlimited access to the County Times website Advert-light access Reader rewards Full access to our app James Gittens has holdings in Montgomeryshire and in Shropshire, and fears the rules could have a devastating impact if they are not changed. 'Unfortunately the Welsh Government's decision will have a bigger effect than the bluetongue virus will itself,' said James. 'Testing will cost £60-£70 per head, the breeding stock isn't even worth that, the test would cost more than the livestock. It is not viable at all.' He called for the rollout of the vaccine which is much cheaper, with vaccinating 30 animals costing about the same as one bluetongue test. 'In the worst-case scenario, we are going to see the numbers of lambs produced in Wales drop by 10 to 20 per cent, from which it may never recover.' added James. 'The initial problems will not be evident it will be the long-term effects. It may take 12 months. 'We are going to see a lot less lambs and more sold on a deadweight system. We won't be able to get them cheaper at auction as there will be less lambs to bid at. But lambs going straight to the factory meaning farmers will be paid less just like it was in foot and mouth.'
Powys County Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Powys County Times
Welshpool Livestock Market could 'lose 35 percent of stock'
An auctioneer at Welshpool Livestock Market says it could lose 35 percent of its trade if new Bluetongue rules from the Welsh Government come into force. Jonathan Evans warned there could be a severe reduction of stock at Welshpool Livestock sales, which is one of the largest markets in the UK. Restrictions set to come into place in England on July 1 are not being replicated in Wales, meaning a ban on sheep and cattle being moved into Wales unless they have been tested for the bluetongue virus. This would be expensive as testing each animal can be £40-£70 and can mean moving a flock of sheep would cost thousands. 'We sell 30-35 per cent English it is obviously going to have a huge effect on our turnover and profit,' said Mr Evans. 'It doesn't matter if they are vaccinated, the Welsh Government won't let them in. 'Yet they say they want farmers to vaccinate the stock but at the same time they won't accept them into Wales so they are contradicting themselves.' Help support trusted local news Sign up for a digital subscription now: As a digital subscriber you will get Unlimited access to the County Times website Advert-light access Reader rewards Full access to our app Mr Evans said the situation would be 'unviable' and it would severely limit the pool of breeding animals for local farmers 'The Welsh Farmer has a way, way smaller pool to buy their breeding stock from. They can only but their breeding stock from Wales,' said Mr Evans. 'The breeding rams, the majority of these come from England. Unless they are tested – which they are unlikely to be – they have got a much, much smaller pool to buy from. 'It will either be a lot more expensive or they will end up not having what they want.'
Powys County Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Bluetongue restrictions 'disatrous' for Powys faming says MS
Farmers on the English border in Powys are facing a huge shock in proposed disease restrictions that have been described as 'disastrous'. Plans to ban the movement of sheep and cattle from England into Wales unless they have been tested for Bluetongue have been branded as 'baffling' and 'impractical'. The change will come into place on July 1 and will restrict the movement of sheep and cattle across the border unless they have a test which can cost anywhere between £40 to £70 per animal, even if they have been vaccinated. This comes as England is moved into being a restricted zone as the disease which is spread by infected midges, continues to be found in different locations in England. Montgomeryshire MS, Russell George warned of a looming economic crisis and would cause millions of pounds in losses to the rural economy and severely disrupt vital cross-border livestock trade. 'The policy will have huge implications for cross-border trade and will ripple through the entire supply chain," said Mr George.. 'Farmers are anxious and worried about their livelihoods. They're concerned about not being able to source stock, including breeding stock." Fellow Powys MS James Evans said farmers now face 'sky high testing fees, red tape, and chaos'. 'No common sense has been applied whatsoever,' said Mr Evans. 'What it does show is a real disconnect and a real lack of understanding from the government of how livestock movements and livestock sales will actually work. 'The impact on cross border trade is also going to be significant, having a two-tiered system when buying livestock in terms of prices and hitting our breeding sales across the country.' Help support trusted local news Sign up for a digital subscription now: As a digital subscriber you will get Unlimited access to the County Times website Advert-light access Reader rewards Full access to our app Former leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies said the move 'puts the livestock industry here in Wales on the altar of stupidity' adding that 'this makes no sense whatsoever". Meanwhile, calls have been made in Powys County Council to put pressure on the Welsh Government to change course. Reform Cllr Geoff Morgan and independent Cllr Ed Jones have submitted a motion to call on the council to write to the Welsh Government Minister for Rural Affairs Huw Irranca-Davies 'urging an urgent review of the current Bluetongue movement restrictions". This would request that the Minister give 'a formal update on any plans to facilitate testing, vaccine rollout, and compensation for affected livestock holders in Powys'. 'Farmers across Powys, especially those with land on both sides of the border, are being severely impacted by arbitrary rules that prevent them from moving livestock between fields on the same farm — while livestock can still legally travel the length of England from Cornwall to Cumbria,' said Cllr Morgan. 'Many of Powys County Council's own Farms Estate tenants are among those affected, so this is a matter directly linked to council business.' Mr Irranca Davies told the Senedd that he had come to the decision after "meeting with senior representatives of the livestock and veterinary sectors on June 5."
North Wales Live
13-06-2025
- Business
- North Wales Live
Hard border between Wales and England to halt deadly disease could be 'costly and futile'
Livestock farmers in Wales face hard border arrangements with England in what some believe is a futile attempt to halt the advance of a deadly disease. The industry fears being crippled by the need to test and licence vast numbers of sheep and cattle when they cross the border into England. Unlike England, Wales is still free of bluetongue, a viral disease that cause ulcers around the animal's mouth and face. In the Netherlands, tens of thousands of sheep have died and British farmers fear worse could happen in the UK. In an attempt to contain the virus' spread, an England-wide restricted zone (RZ) is to be imposed from July 1. In practice this means existing movement controls will be eased with farmer encouraged to use new bluetongue vaccines instead. The Welsh Government is reluctant to follow suit, fearing a freedom-of-movement regime will hasten bluetongue's spread into the country. Instead, Cardiff wants to keep the virus at bay 'for as long as we can' and so has opted not to apply an RZ in the county. But the Welsh farming sector has warned the implications could be 'catastrophic' for cross-border trade. Some 550 cross-border agri businesses and straddle the Wales-England border and each year tens of thousands of animals are shipped out to livestock markets. It also has major implications for July's Royal Welsh Show, Europe's largest agri showcase and the biggest annual event in Wales. Livestock exhibitors from England and Scotland will now be unable to attend, slashing the cattle entry by 40%. Refunds are being processed. Urging Cardiff to align Wales with England, the industry has branded the looming arrangements as both 'a futile endeavour and wholly impractical'. FUW president Ian Rickman said farmers' first instincts were to keep any disease out of Wales – but in this case the solution could be economically disastrous. Mr Rickman said midges carrying the disease are likely to blow into Wales regardless of England's RZ. He said the insects 'do not respect any such boundaries' and the RZ will hasten the spread of bluetongue to Wales anyway. 'The on-farm practicalities involved with adhering to this policy position brings with it a wealth of barriers and complications,' he said. 'The mechanics of issuing licences in a timely manner, arranging and conducting pre-movement sampling and testing, co-ordinating haulage and the extortionate costs and disruption to cross-border holdings and trade – it is feared that the decision to hold back the tide will be entirely unattainable and impractical.' While Bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV-3) poses a serious threat to cattle, sheep, goats deer and alpacas across the UK, it does not affect humans or compromise food safety. Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said he had agonised over the decision. On balance, it was the lesser of two evils, he said, adding: 'I cannot in all conscience invite Bluetongue into Wales on 1st July through aligning with the RZ in England. 'I am unwilling to risk the uncertain impact of the disease in livestock dense areas like the Welsh borders. I am also extremely concerned about the economic and farmer wellbeing impacts of dealing with sick animals, and the livestock productivity and fertility losses associated with severe Bluetongue, as observed in many affected European countries.' By setting up border arrangements, it's hoped this will buy time for Welsh farmers to vaccinate their animals against the disease. If Bluetongue does arrive in Wales anyway, disease controls will be implemented. Being a fast-changing situation, Mr Irranca-Davies pledged to 'adapt to the evolving disease situation'. NFU Cymru president Aled Jones said Welsh farmers were 'extremely worried' about the disease - but also about the containment and testing strategy. He said: 'We have significant concerns about the lack of resources and testing capacity within the laboratories and APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency) given the significant amount of stock that move across the border from England to Wales for management, welfare and trading purposes. 'We understand that going forward the costs of testing will be borne by the farmer, which will cause a huge increase to the cost of trading. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox 'We are about to enter an extremely important time of the year in the farming calendar, with many farmers looking to trade breeding stock and store stock ahead of the autumn and winter months. 'For many herds and flocks, the opportunity to trade breeding stock, both those looking to purchase or sell stock, only comes once a year and this trade is critical. Welsh Government must ensure that a sustainable solution is found as soon as possible.'
