The current outbreak of bluetongue is the largest Europe has seen in years, with growing numbers of infections in countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, France and Greece. The spread is not limited to Western Europe.
Although no new cases have been identified in Bulgaria, the threat remains high, given the outbreak in neighbouring countries. In Greece, the disease is spreading rapidly, which is a major concern, especially given the proximity of livestock areas in North Macedonia and Romania. Romania has therefore imposed stricter controls at its border crossings with Greece and Bulgaria to protect them from the spread of the disease.
For the first time in fifteen years, the disease was also found in Denmark last week in ruminants. This means that Denmark loses its international status as bluetongue-free. This also means that Danish exports of cattle and bull semen to a large number of countries outside the EU will stop.
In Belgium, more than 500 farms have been affected by the outbreak. Agriculture Minister David Clarinval acknowledges that the situation is serious and speaks of a crisis. The rapid spread of the disease is causing significant economic losses for livestock farmers.
The situation is also serious in Germany. More and more infections are being reported in the Saarland and other regions. The authorities have declared large areas as restricted zones, which means that strict controls apply to the trade and transport of animals. However, the German sector organisations are reluctant to opt for mass vaccination immediately, due to the logistical challenges and the availability of vaccines.
In France, the disease is also spreading rapidly, especially in the northeast of the country. French livestock farmers are very concerned about the impact of the disease on their farms and are calling for an accelerated rollout of vaccinations.
The impact of the outbreak is not limited to the affected countries themselves; it also severely hampers the export of live animals to other countries. This puts the entire European livestock sector under great pressure. Bluetongue is not classified as, for example, avian influenza or African swine fever. As a result, the EU authorities do not pay compensation for operational losses or euthanized animals if the disease affects the herd.
The sector organisations in various countries are calling for urgent measures, including a coordinated European approach. On Monday, the first Danish farmers can start vaccinating their animals against bluetongue. The Danish Medicines Agency and the Danish Food and Drug Administration have jointly managed to find 200,000 vaccine doses.
During a meeting with agricultural associations and the German states, the German BMEL Ministry called on livestock farmers to vaccinate cattle and sheep in particular against bluetongue as soon as possible.