The Animal Health and veterinary Laboratories Agency has launched a survey to examine the effect of Schmallenberg Virus on sheep farms during the 2011/2012 lambing season.

The virus, which was discovered in Germany and has since been reported in eight EU states, affects ruminants. If animals are affected at a crucial stage of pregnancy, the virus can cause stillbirth, spontaneous abortion or congenital abnormalities in the foetus. As concern about the disease spread earlier this year, a number of countries placed import restrictions on animal products from affected EU states.   

The Schmallenberg virus was only discovered last autumn and, as such, AHVLA said it will assess the effects the virus has had on losses to farmers and animal health and welfare in Britain after this first season. All infections which continue to be reported are believed to have occurred last autumn when infected midges spread the disease to the UK from mainland Europe.

The European Food Safety Authority said earlier this week that SBV infections could move to previously unaffected regions if the disease has remained in the midge population. The report revealed, “In regions with SBV confirmed holdings, assuming a high prevalence of infection and post infection immunity, impact in the 2012-2013 calving and lambing season should be low. However, assuming SBV survived the winter of 2011, the models suggest that in unaffected regions or regions with low prevalence… SBV infection is likely to spread."

The AHVLA study is focusing on sheep farmers, as it is believed all cases in sheep, which have a shorter gestation period than cattle, will have come to light, whereas cases in cattle can be expected to increase over the coming weeks. The study takes the form of a short online questionnaire. AHVLA said the 30 questions in the questionnaire should take under 30 minutes to complete.

The agency is asking farmers whose flock/s did not contract Schmallenberg to complete the questionnaire as well as those who have been directly affected. A summary of the results will be published on the AHVLA website, but data collected will be confidential.

The survey will run until 15th July. Farmers with questions about the survey can contact AHVLA at SBVsurvey@ahvla.gsi.gov.uk.

There are currently an estimated 4,716 cases of Schmallenberg virus in the EU, of which 471 are in the UK. All of the UK cases are in England; 49 of the confirmed infections are on cattle farms, 219 are in sheep and three premises have reported infections in both cattle and sheep.

One case of SBV, identified in cattle last week is in the East Riding of Yorkshire, close to the Lincolnshire border. The region had been designated ‘low risk’ by the AHVLA. An AHVLA spokesperson said on Monday,  “It is not entirely unexpected that sporadic cases may arise outside our most ‘at risk’ areas.”  

The English version of the AHVLA survey can be found here and the Welsh version here. More information about SBV can be found on the Schmallenberg virus pages of the AHVLA website.

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