Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department considered the potential merits of including a screening for bluetongue virus at abattoirs within the National Disease Surveillance scheme.

Defra is considering bluetongue monitoring enhancements for next season. Currently, official Veterinarians monitor for notifiable diseases including bluetongue at antemortem inspections across GB abattoirs. If notifiable disease is suspected APHA are contacted and reporting and appropriate testing procedures are followed. This data feeds into APHA disease scanning and the wider surveillance scheme.