Farmers have been urged to vaccinate their livestock
against bluetongue as soon as possible after it emerged thousands
of French farms have tested positive for the disease this
summer.
Latest reports from the continent revealed 2242 premises had
been infected with the BTV8 strain of the disease due to the virus
circulating this year.
A further 6000 infected premises had been found, but were
attributed to spread during 2007.
Most of the outbreaks of the strain, which were first detected
on 30 May, were in the central region of France.
However the French Department of Animal Health said some cases
of the disease had occurred on the north west coast, around
Calais.
A further 14 farms in the south west of the country had tested
positive for the BTV1 strain of the disease.
Peter Morris, National Sheep Association chief executive, said
farmers in the protection zone should vaccinate as soon as possible
to avoid the "havoc" the disease has wrecked on France.
"This is a mirror-image of what happened last year," he
said.
"Luckily, we are in a better position this year because we have
been effective in rolling out a vaccine.
"Farmers should vaccinate as soon as they can. It's up to them
to protect their own businesses."
