Climate change blamed for drought and Schmallengerg virus as cases reach 83

An update from the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) today said that Schmallenberg virus had now been detected in 78 cases in sheep and five in cattle, on farms across southern and eastern England.

Five more cases were reported in West Sussex as well as one more farm each in Kent, East Sussex, Hertfordshire and Surrey.

The virus first emerged in the Netherlands and Germany last year, causing mild to moderate symptoms in adult cattle, including reduced milk yield and diarrhoea, and late abortions and birth deformities in newborn sheep, goats and cattle.

It is thought the virus is spread by midges, and has crossed the Channel from the Continent.

Millions of ewes are due to start lambing in the next few weeks and if the virus gets hold it could be devastating.

At the same time the South East and Anglia, the ‘bread basket of Britain’, is officially in drought and the Midlands, South and South West is at risk of water shortages.

Jonathan Scurlock, Chief Adviser on Climate Change for the National Farmers Union, blamed climate change for the difficult conditions in farming.

He said Schmallenberg, like Bluetongue, was able to cross over the Britain from the Continent because the midges survived a warm winter.

He also said drought will become more common in future because of global warming.

“You cannot draw a direct causal comparison but drought and animal disease travelling further are the sorts of things that are likely to happen as a consequence of rising temperatures,” he said.

Dr Scurlock said farmers are on the “frontline of climate change” because they rely on the weather to grow crops and keep livestock.

He said farmers are doing their bit to try and prevent climate change getting worse by taking up renewable energy.

Almost one in three farms or 18,000 have renewable energy installed like wind or solar or biomass fuels, meaning it is almost as important as tourism as an alternative source of income.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agricul…ch-83.html

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