The British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA), Sheep Veterinary Society (SVS) and Goat Veterinary Society (GVS) are calling on Defra and the Health and Safety Executive to action in response to growing concerns over restrictions on diagnostic testing linked to bluetongue (BTV).
With the support of the British Veterinary Association (BVA), the organisations have written to senior government officials calling for urgent changes to allow essential investigations to continue where Bluetongue is suspected.
Current laboratory requirements are limiting the investigation of abortions and other serious conditions in livestock, particularly during the lambing and calving season. This is putting animal welfare, farm businesses and disease surveillance at risk.
While bluetongue is a serious notifiable disease, it does not pose a risk to human health. The organisations are therefore calling for a system that allows BTV to be ruled out quickly without blocking wider diagnostic testing.
BCVA, SVS and GVS are now supporting members to raise these concerns with their MPs. A template letter has been provided to help vets highlight the impact of the current system on farms and veterinary practices.
The groups are urging government and regulators to engage with the profession and deliver practical solutions without delay.
WRITE TO YOUR MP – USE THIS TEMPLATE
THE LETTER SENT
To: Christine Middlemiss CVO England
Sheila Voas CVO Scotland
Richard Irvine CVO Wales
Brian Dooher CVO Northern Ireland
Rt Hon Emma Reynolds Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Dame Angela Eagle Minister of State for Food, Farming and Fisheries
Sarah Albon Health and Safety Executive
Re: Notifiable diseases, SAPO and diagnostics – urgent action required for bluetongue cases
As a collective of UK veterinary organisations representing farm vets, we are writing to express our urgent concern about the current limitations on investigating ruminant abortions where Bluetongue (BTV) is suspected. We are calling on the Health and Safety Executive and DEFRA to agree to derogate diagnostics from high-containment laboratory requirements, to protect both animal and human health.
Abortion is one recognised sign of BTV infection; however, there are many other highly significant causes of abortion that require prompt investigation when they occur. Spring is a critical period in the farming calendar, with many flocks and herds approaching lambing and calving. Any restriction on farmers or veterinary surgeons carrying out full abortion investigations risks severe animal welfare and economic consequences, as well as potential risks to human health if zoonotic agents are not rapidly identified.
The issue extends beyond ruminant abortion investigations. The same principles apply to the investigation of other conditions, such as neurological disease in calves, or any situation where the presenting signs on farm could be linked to BTV infection, even in the absence of classical clinical signs of BTV in livestock.
On behalf of our members, who work with farmers on the front line of detecting notifiable diseases and who provide veterinary services to maintain high standards of animal health and welfare, we are deeply concerned that access to comprehensive laboratory diagnostic services is being impeded in cases where BTV remains a possible cause.
While BTV is a serious notifiable disease of major economic importance, it is well recognised that it does not pose a risk to human health. It is therefore imperative that a swift resolution is found to allow testing to exclude BTV, without preventing samples from the same clinical presentation from undergoing further investigation through the network of regional animal health laboratories. This is essential to support rapid on-farm diagnosis, improve animal health and welfare, and reduce economic losses.
Failure to act swiftly risks undermining the significant efforts made to raise awareness of BTV and the importance of rapid reporting and diagnosis.
When disease occurs on farm, farmers and veterinary surgeons should not be put in a position where there is pressure to choose between reporting a suspicion of BTV—without the opportunity for further investigation in negative cases—or omitting BTV as a differential diagnosis to maximise their chances of achieving a diagnosis.
Significant effort has gone into delivering clear, timely advice to vets and farmers on protecting against BTV. That effort is fatally undermined if there is no credible system for diagnosing the disease. Without effective diagnostics, two years of coordinated communications by the Battle Bluetongue collective risk being reduced to little more than reassurance without substance.
We look forward to hearing how positive and rapid engagement can be secured from all relevant parties to resolve this important issue of national significance without further delay.
Signatories
David Black for British Cattle Veterinary Association
Ben Dustan for Goat Veterinary Society
Phillipa Page for Sheep Veterinary Society
Rob Williams for the British Veterinary Association
