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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) monitor and (b) help control the spread of Culicoides midges, the vectors of bluetongue virus serotype 3, in high-risk areas.

Defra’s bluetongue disease control measures aim to limit the spread of BTV infection through proportionate and evidence-based control measures, whilst balancing the burdens of controls against the benefits of slowing the spread of bluetongue and minimising the cost of any outbreak both to Government and farmers.

Vector control is not an effective control measure and vaccination remains the most effective long-term approach for reducing the impacts of bluetongue disease throughout the UK. Defra has permitted the use of vaccines for BTV-3 and these vaccines are now widely available for vets to prescribe in England.

The Government conducts annual targeted surveillance for BTV. This is designed to detect new serotypes of bluetongue virus, including BTV-12 that may be circulating. The annual surveillance uses diagnostic testing protocols at the bluetongue national reference laboratory, The Pirbright Institute, that can detect and differentiate between different serotypes of bluetongue virus including BTV-12.