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BACK Blue Tongue
Dumfries and Galloway Standard Beware the Ides of March, has become fixed as a metaphor for impending doom ever since Shakespeare used the phrase in his play, Julius Caesar. Are we to suppose that DEFRA were making a prophesy by choosing the 15th of March to be the end of the vector free period for the Bluetongue Virus? I think that they might be! However, Defra could not be easily compared to anything by William Shakespeare; Frankie Howerd and Up Pompeii would be an easier comparison. The rest of Europe looks on in envy at the favourable position that the UK finds itself in, as far as combating bluetongue is concerned. Most of them would like to be in our position where we have only a small pocket of infection in one corner of our country and the promise of vaccine being made available before the active period for the midges, that are the vector species, begins. A compulsory plan to deal with the disease was the best option available to the UK. This would have been a thorough measure that would have been co-funded by Europe which would, in all probability, have snuffed the virus out before it overruns the entire country. Scientists estimate that if 80% of susceptible animals are protected by the vaccine this will be sufficient to stop the disease from circulating in the midge population. A compulsory scheme, where everyone would have been expected to take part, would have stood a fair chance of reaching that target. Here was a chance for us to show the rest of Europe that the UK’s government and its farmers could demonstrate a level of organisation and professionalism that we could all be proud of. But instead, almost predictably, Defra has chosen a voluntary strategy that will rely on farmers vaccinating without compulsion and therefore save the government any expense. They say that, “a compulsory programme would involve increased regulatory burdens and a level of enforcement to check compliance”. Aye right! Since when have they been shy about placing burdens, regulating and checking-up on us? They will be eager enough to regulate and check for compliance to make sure those farmers all pay to have the carcases that will pile up, disposed off in the most expensive way possible. There will be no shortage of regulation to enforce us to tidy up the impending devastation but none to stop it from happening. While this voluntary approach will be quicker and simpler for the government and for farmers - “a no brainer” in modern parlance; I fear that with the absence of any coordination and compulsion the whole affair will descend into a shambles. As a consequence we will struggle to achieve the 80% level of protection that will be required to stem the spread of the virus. Pockets of disease and corridors of transmission will be left untreated and they will ultimately allow the passage of the virus all the way up the entire length of the country. On the other hand most experts in the field will maintain that the best way to stop the spread of the virus is to get ahead of the disease and vaccinate in the clear zones on the periphery of the outbreak so that the vector species which carry the virus comes up against a wall of vaccinated animals that it will find difficult to cross. Considering that we have a country that is bound by water and relatively long in comparison to its width it would make sense to start a compulsory campaign to vaccinate the clean animals in the North of England and in Wales first and then chase the disease South and East back into the English Channel; whilst at the same time making it a voluntary option in the South East of England for those farmers that are concerned about protecting their livestock. Alas this is not possible, yes you’ve guessed, it EU regulation does not allow it. They insist that to use the vaccine to create a barrier an area must be declared to be a protection zone. But the minute you do that, animals can move freely into that area from potentially infected areas. These carriers will introduce the disease into the local midge population before the vaccine can become effective and the virus will start to circulate and spread further. The net result is, the disease will march on. Let’s hope that Richard Lochhead will take firm control and will not be swayed by accountants and pay more attention to the advice from veterinarians and virologists when the Scottish strategy for dealing with the disease is being decided. Scotland has an illustrious record when it comes to the field of animal disease research and control. I am quite sure that our people, here in Scotland, will not let us down in the same way as every farmer in the UK has been let down by Defra and Hillary Benn. Et tu Hillary, to coin a phrase. |