French authorities have released more details on the control programme to tackle bluetongue virus, which is spreading in the south of the country, and Britain’s agencies have said it is unlikely that disease-spreading midges reached British shores this summer.

Bluetongue, which was detected in late August in the Allier region, has since spread further south, with the world animal health organisation (OIE) now reporting 88 cases of the disease on 28 farms. Prior to the outbreak, France had been classified as bluetongue-free since 2012.

Though no animals have died from the disease, some have been culled as part of disease control measures.

The response strategy, being led by French public health agency Anses, has also included movement restrictions, increased surveillance activities and a vaccination programme, which began last week, prioritising animals destined for export and genetics selection. The French agriculture ministry announced on Friday that surveillance is being carried out across the French regions.  

Bluetongue is transferred by midges and biting flies, like the schmallenberg virus which was first detected in 2011 and quickly spread throughout Europe. The virus affects sheep, cattle and goats, and the cases reported in France have predominantly been reported in cattle; the first outbreaks have been reported in a major beef farming region.

The British Animal and Plant health Agency (APHA) said last week that initial tests on the virus show a high similarity to the strain behind the 2006-08 outbreak which first struck in the Netherlands and subsequently spread, resulting in the first ever reported case of the disease in the UK. Before this, the virus was a recurring threat in Southern Europe.

Even so, possible sources for the outbreak include a new, less severe strain, introduced from cattle elsewhere, or from wildlife, which may have acted as a reservoir of disease since the last outbreak. There are a number of ways in which the blue tongue strain could have persisted undetected and reemerged; similar viruses have a cycle of reemergence.  

Met Office analysis of wind patterns between June and September have shown that the risk of disease-carrying midges being blown to UK shores is “negligible”. Nevertheless, APHA said in a statement that the window in which midges are active and can spread disease in France is likely remain open until December, and that “Given the uncertainty around the disease distribution this early in the investigations, the [risk] assessment could change and will therefore be kept under review.”

Authorities said there have been transfers of cattle between areas under surveillance in France and the UK since June. As there is potential for the disease to spread from infected animals or undetected cases of blue tongue in Northern France, UK authorities are continuing to monitor the situation closely.

The outbreak will be especially worrying for French farmers, as it could still lead to export restrictions, and adds further worries at a time when low returns have left one in ten farmers in the country dangerously close to bankruptcy.