By DAVID COULTER david.coulter@hexham-courant.co.uk

Last updated 13:41, Thursday, 02 October 2008

THE only way to prevent livestock contracting the bluetongue virus is by immunising them against the disease.

Allaying fears: Dr Johannes Winkelmann spoke to livestock farmers in Hexham this week.

This was the message from a leading European expert on ther outbreak, when he spoke to farmersat Hexham Auction Mart on Tuesday night.

Dr Johannes Winkelmann was present at a meeting organised by the Northern region of the National Sheep Association to dispel any rumours that vaccination had major side effects on cattle and sheep.

Dr Winkelmann, former head of the animal health service for the Chamber of Agriculture in the German state of North Rhine Westphalia, has researched the disease since an outbreak in Germany in 2006 and has recorded the positive results of vaccination.

He told a packed function suite that the only feasible way to combat the virus was to immunise stock against the disease.

He said: “You can protect your animals against the disease by vaccinating. The side effects are not really an issue after vaccination.

“Vaccination is the only way to control the disease and looking for the relevant signs is necessary.”

UK farmers have been concerned about the increase of bluetongue throughout the country.

Reported outbreaks on British farms have come from livestock imported from Europe.

An immunisation programme implemented is believed to have prevented farm animals from contracting the virus.

Bringing the discussion to a close, Rochester farmer and chairman of the NFU’s regional livestock board Malcolm Corbett thanked Dr Winkelmann for his reassurance about vaccination.

He said: “Vaccination is stopping the disease on the Continent and I am convinced that it has stopped it in this country.

“Without a vaccination programme we would have been devastated by it in this area.”

Throughout his presentation, Dr Winkelmann highlighted the causes and indications of the bluetongue virus.

The disease, caused through a virus carried by midges, affects all ruminants except pigs.

His research in Germany found that there were more cases of the disease in cattle, but more severe cases in sheep.