UK farmer survey launched to understand on-farm impact from bluetongue

The livestock industry has come together to launch a nationwide survey to better understand the impact of bluetongue virus on UK farms.

Led by Fiona Lovatt of Flock Health Limited, and the Ruminant Health & Welfare bluetongue working group, the survey is being conducted in collaboration with AHDB and the University of Nottingham and has the backing of key industry organisations.

“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,” she adds.

The survey will provide a clearer picture of what is happening on UK farms so that we can better support affected farmers and prepare 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 short online survey is open to all livestock farmers, whether they have experienced confirmed cases of bluetongue on their farm or not. It aims to gather data on the number of animals affected, the severity of clinical signs, and the wider impacts on farm businesses.

“It’s crucial we listen to our farmers and learn from their experiences,” says Fiona. “Currently a lot of our learnings about the impact of BTV-3 are from our friends in the Netherlands who have had more cases so far, so it’s vital we understand if the UK situation differs at all.

“The data collected through this survey will be shared to help inform how the whole industry can best support those dealing with bluetongue, as well as informing preparations for next year’s midge season.”

The survey is accessible via mobile or desktop, takes around 5 minutes to complete with responses being fully anonymous. It is expected to remain open for several weeks, with the results being shared widely across the industry.

Farmers are urged to take part in the survey, which can be accessed at https://bit.ly/BTV3survey.

For more information, please contact ruminanthw@ahdb.org.uk.

To stay up to date with the latest news, regulations and updates, you can visit the Ruminant Health & Welfare bluetongue hub, or farmers can call the dedicated AHDB bluetongue hotline on 024 7771 0386 to get advice or ask questions.

In the UK, bluetongue, including BTV-3, is a notifiable disease, so anyone suspecting the disease must take action and report it to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) on 03000 200 301.