Schmallenberg Virus

Lord Soulsby of Swaffham Prior Excerpts

Thursday 1st November 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Myners]

My Lords—

[Lord Soulsby of Swaffham Prior]

My Lords—

[The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally)]

Can we hear from the noble Lord, Lord Soulsby, first?

[Lord Soulsby of Swaffham Prior]

My Lords, it is good news to hear that vaccines are being developed against the Schmallenberg virus although it takes time to authenticate the vaccine, get it licensed and the rest. A short-term approach could be to delay the breeding of cattle and sheep to a time when the insect vector—the biting midge—is less active because it is only through the biting midge transmitting the virus that this infection is transmitted from animal to animal. Has the Minister information about any work that is going on as regards advising farmers to delay animal breeding until there is less midge activity?

[Lord De Mauley]

Yes, my Lords, I have looked into this suggestion. It is possible that delayed tupping may help. We recommend that farmers discuss this with their vets as there are many interdependencies for each farm relating to the timing of tupping and the overall benefits need to be considered. If a flock is not infected yet, delaying tupping may work only if disease infects the ewes before tupping takes place.