The livestock industry is being surveyed to better understand the impact of the ongoing bluetongue virus outbreak.
Led by Fiona Lovatt of Flock Health Limited, alongside the Ruminant Health & Welfare bluetongue working group, the survey is conducted in collaboration with AHDB and the University of Nottingham.
“We know farmers across the country, in and out of the restricted zone, are at the coal face, dealing with daily challenges and disruption due to the BTV-3 outbreak,” says Fiona.
“We want to make sure their experiences and the impact on their animals are captured.”
It’s hoped that the results will provide a clearer picture of what is happening on UK farms and lead to better support for farmers as well as more preparation for the future.
“We need to find out what level of clinical signs farmers are seeing in their animals, whether they are experiencing mortality with BTV-3 cases, and what their appetite is to vaccinate in future for bluetongue serotype 3,” explains Fiona.
“It’s important to note this survey is fully anonymous, so hopefully farmers feel they can share everything they have seen that might be relevant.”
The survey can be accessed here and takes around five minutes to complete. Responses will be anonymous.