Archive of 2007/8 Foot and Mouth / Bluetongue | British Llama Society | BLS

HEALTH AND WELFARE BULLETIN 16 : BLUETONGUE

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:57:55 +0100

First cases in 2008

There have been two confirmed cases of BTV8 in sheep in East Sussex and eight cattle in Devon. These animals were all imported but the message is that the disease could emerge anywhere in the UK. Please see the link provided for further informationat: http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2008/080829a.htm

In other European countries where the vaccination programme has not been as well managed, or had such good uptake, the disease has taken an alarmingly strong hold. In France the spread of BTV8 this summer has been like wildfire.

There were 260 cases in France on 18^th July.

2,242 cases on 1^st August and 4,543 at the end of last week.

The message remains clear, protect your animals, don't hesitate - vaccinate

Protection Zone Roll Out

The English Protection Zone will be extended on 1st September to cover Northumberland and Cumbria . This will complete the roll-out of the vaccination programme and will bring the whole of England into the Protection Zone.

All farms in the Protection Zone are eligible to vaccinate.

Please see the following link for more information http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/bluetongue/latest/index.htm.

The Welsh Protection Zonehas also to be extended on 1st September to incorporate the whole of Wales. All farms in the Protection Zone are eligible to vaccinate.

In Scotland - it is still the intention to begin vaccinating as winter approaches. Sheep and cattle will be compulsory, other susceptible species including camelids, will be voluntary but advised. There is no date fixed but the campaign could start as early as October. Currently it is not permitted to vaccinate in Scotland.

There are already 1 million doses in stock in Scotland with another 11 million arriving during October, November and December. It is likely that the hill sheep farmers will get the first call - they gather flocks down in October for sales and the sheep then go back out on the hill.

The vaccine will be…

HEALTH & WELFARE BULLETIN 15: BLUETONGUE

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:46:08 +0100

The British Llama Society is a member of an organisation called JAB (Joint Action against Bluetongue).

The following statement will be sent to the press today by JAB.

With just three weeks to go before the first anniversary of bluetongue being detected in England the JAB campaign group is urging farmers to vaccinate their livestock to stop the disease from taking hold in this country as it has in Europe.

So far this year France has reported 4,543 cases of bluetongue, including cases in Calais, and the Netherlands has just confirmed its first case of the disease in 2008. The affected small holding reported a sick cow found with serotype eight which had not been vaccinated against infection.

With the threat of bluetongue re-emergence in the UK growing by the day, JAB leaders have issued a reminder to farmers to contact their vets as soon as their region is in the protection zone and vaccine is available.

In a statement JAB said: “The amount of cases being reported across Europe shows the disease is on the move. This most recent case in Holland demonstrates that not vaccinating livestock leaves farmers vulnerable to outbreaks now the midge season has started.

“The industry has rallied behind the JAB campaign and has done tremendously well in terms of vaccination. Nearly 19 million doses have already been made available to English farmers, and with another nine million doses planned to be released in the coming weeks we need those areas that are new to the protection zone to vaccinate as soon as they are able. We must remember bluetongue could already be circulating in areas where outbreaks occurred last year so the risks to everyone are very real.

“The explosion in the number of cases on the continent also acts as a timely reminder to those farmers in the current protection zone who have not vaccinated and the dangers this presents to their unprotected livestock

“We are entering the peak period for midge activity so vaccination is the only way to prepare and protect…

BLS HEALTH & WELFARE BULLETIN 14 : BLUETONGUE

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 15:19:06 +0100

Dear Member

We have been asked to circulate the following notification of the intention to bring the whole of Wales into the BTV8 protection Zone in late August.

Welsh Assembly Government intends to declare the whole of Wales a Bluetongue Protection Zone

The Welsh Assembly Government announced today (5 August) its intention to declare the whole of Wales a Bluetongue Protection Zone as opposed to introducing a gradual roll-out of the Zone by county. This will be subject to the availability of Bluetongue vaccine and no new outbreak of disease.

It is expected that this will happen around the end of August or the beginning of September. This approach will enable vaccination to take place across the whole of Wales within a matter of weeks.

Today Wales' Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Christianne Glossop said "Both Intervet and Merial have now obtained provisional market authorisation for their vaccine and we are in a position to deliver an effective strategy for vaccination in Wales. The precise timing for the Protection Zone declaration is dependent upon when vaccine batches are available”.

"This decision highlights the need for a concerted effort from the livestock industry to reignite their interest in vaccination; the need to minimise the impact of Bluetongue controls during the autumn trading season and to ensure the process is simple and easily understood.”

"We are entering the period of highest risk of Bluetongue and, as midge populations become more active, the threat of virus circulation increases. The decision to designate the whole of Wales a Protection Zone has been made following careful analysis of a range of factors including veterinary risk and economics, in consultation with our key industry stakeholders."

Dr Glossop added: "While we are seeing a significant number of new cases of Bluetongue in mainland Europe - some 2,000 cases in Northern Europe to date - we have not yet seen the disease in Wales. This is due to the controls imposed across Europe…

BLS Health & Welfare Bulletin 13 : BLUETONGUE

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 15:03:23 +0100

Defra have announced: 9 AUGUST 2008

TheProtection Zone will be extended on 7th August to cover those parts of Shropshire(District of Oswestry), Cheshire (Districts of Vale Royal, Chester and Ellesmere Port and Neston), Greater Manchester(Manchester Distric, Metropolitan Boroughs ofWigan, Bolton, Bury, Trafford and Salford) and North Yorkshire(Districts of Richmondshire and Craven) previously in the Free Area, and all of Merseyside(including the Metropolitan Boroughs ofLiverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral), the Unitary Authorities of Halton and Warrington, and Lancashire (including the Unitary Authorities of Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen).

The change followsdelivery of additional doses of Bluetongue vaccine. Please see the following link for more informationhttp://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/bluetongue/latest/index.htm.

Bluetongue Virus is now rife in Germany, Holland and particularly in France where there have been 2,242 cases reported this summer.

If you are in a protection Zone please 'don't hesitate - vaccinate'

NB - There are now two manufacturers supplying BTV8 vaccine. Intervet in 20 and 50 ml bottles and Merial in 100ml bottles.

Camelids require two 1 ml doses. We have been advised that you should not mix vaccine from the two manufacturers. ie if the first dose was Intervet the second MUST also be Intervet and vice versa.

If you vaccinate with Intervet vaccine, the 2^nd dose should be given after 21 days BUT if you vaccinate with Merial vaccine, the second dose should be given after 28 days.

Do not hesitate - vaccinate

If you have queries, concerns or feedback on any of these issues, please contact Liz Butler:

llamaliz@hotmail.com, or 01737 823375.

BLS Health & Welfare Bulletin 12: BLUETONGUE

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:02:59 +0100

BTV Protection Zone Extended

Defra have just announced the extension of the BTV8 Protection Zone to encompass all of the remaining Surveillance Zone counties.

The Protection Zone will be extended to coverHerefordshire, the unitary authority of Telford and Wrekin and the districts in Shropshire (North Shropshire, Shrewsbury and Atcham, South Shropshire and Bridgnorth) previously in the Surveillance Zone, the SZ now no longer exists.The change follows delivery of additional doses of Bluetongue vaccine. Please see the following link for more information

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/bluetongue/latest/index.htm.

The declaration has been made on behalf of the Secretary of State & comes into force at 00:01 on the 28 July 2008.

This means that as of 00.01 on the 28 July 08 the Surveillance Zone will no longer exist. All your animals should now be vaccinated.

Do not hesitate - vaccinate

If you have queries, concerns or feedback on any of these issues, please contact Liz Butler:

llamaliz@hotmail.com, or 01737 823375.

BLS Health & Welfare Bulletin 11: Bluetongue

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:31:47 +0100

BTV Protection Zone Extended

Defra has announced :
As of 21 July 2008 at 00.01hrs the Protection Zone will beextended to cover Worcestershire and the Districts in North Yorkshire (Scarborough, Ryedale, Hambleton & Harrogate), Cheshire (Macclesfield, Congleton & Crewe and Nantwich) and Greater Manchester (Rochdale, Oldham, Tameside and Stockport) previously in the Surveillance Zone. The change follows delivery of additional doses of Bluetongue vaccine.Please see the following link for more information http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/bluetongue/latest/index.htm.

Only farms in the Protection Zone are permitted to vaccinate.

BTV Stakeholder Meeting

Delegates from the BAS and BLSattended the Defra BTV stakeholders meeting in London on Thursday.

The message was that the supply of vaccine was back on track, that the rollout had worked well and that take up across all species was in excess of 80%. To date there have been no new cases reported in the UK in the 2008 season, although climatic conditions are now ripe for disease spread. There were 130 new farms reported as infected in France last week. It is therefore likely that cases will begin to appear in the UK in the next couple of weeks. We must then hope that the vaccine will be effective and that spread will be severely curtailed.

The issue of side effects was discussed in detail. All reported cases across all species have been investigated fully. In the majority of cases there were alternative explanations for abortion or illness, for example, underlying mineral deficiency, bacterial or viral infection or anaemia. The figure suggest that there have been no more than 1 abortion per 1 million animals vaccinated across all species caused specifically by a reaction to the BTV vaccine.

The message is still therefore:

If you are in a Protection Zone please do not hesitate - vaccinate

Research on the effectiveness of the vaccine in camelids and the booster interval is on-going. We will update…

BLS Health & Welfare Bulletin 10: Research Project

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:24:13 +0100

CAMELID NEATODE RESEARCH PROJECT.

We have received the following request from Alma Yrjo-Kishinen, BSc Veterinary Sciences, at the Royal Veterinary College and wondered if any member can help with the research.

‘The title of the study is "A molecular characterization of gastrointestinal nematodes of alpacas and llamas in England." I think we should have enough samples from alpacas, but we are looking for llama faecal samples. We are also looking for samples from sheep co-grazing with camelids. This would help us study the cross-species potential of selected nematode species. I think we would need to sample 3-5 sheep from at least 5 farms if possible. I would happily process up to 20 farms with pooled samples from about 10 sheep per farm, but I am not sure how easy it is to obtain these samples. It would be useful to sample the camelids from these farms as well. Would you happen to know people who have co-grazing sheep with camelids who might want to take part in our study? Previously with alpaca samples the farmers would post us the samples, but we might also be able to visit some of the farms’.

If you can help, please contact Alma at the Royal Veterinary College on mobile number 07984-451083. It would also help BLS if you could let Liz Butler know if you are willing to participate.

If you have queries, concerns or feedback on any of these issues, please contact Liz Butler:

llamaliz@hotmail.com, or 01737 823375.

BLS Health & Welfare Bulletin 9: Bluetongue Vaccination, TB in Camelids & Dog Attacks

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:15:56 +0100

BLUETONGUE

Recently there have been a number of articles written in the farming press regarding the Bluetongue vaccine. In one such article it was suggested that camelids need to be re-vaccinated every six months.

There is no scientific proof to this statement. Claire Whitehead, MRCVS, from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), is currently doing tests with the vaccine on camelids. Early indications are that twovaccinations, three weeks apart, are required to build up the immunity to Bluetongue. As Claire pointed out: “Why should we need to vaccinate our animals in six months time, just when the ‘Vector Free’ period is beginning?

We have also heard that a vet was refusing to vaccinate camelids as they are not registered with defra. This again is incorrect information. Don't hesitate, vaccinate.

Do not believe everything you read in the press. If you have any questions, ask your vet.

If your vet has any questions or problems, suggest they contact Claire Whitehead at the RVC.

DOG ATTACKS.

This year has been particularly bad for dog attacks on alpacas, but some llamas are also attacked so BAS and BLS have been working together to try and alter the current legislation to include camelids.

The following statement has been received from defra:

BOVINE TB IN CAMELIDS

The issue of Bovine TB is once again in the public eye. Camelids are susceptible to Bovine TB and should be represented on the new Bovine TB Partnership Group being formed.

TB has been discussed at a number of meetings with Defra and their equivalent counterparts at the Welsh Assembly but many issues remain unresolved including best test methods, disease prevention and compensation.

Richard Beale, Libby Henson and Liz Butler have been invited to meet Andrew Bishop next Wednesday, as representatives of the alpaca and llama communities, to specifically discuss Bovine TB in camelids.

We do know that some member herds have already been affected but do not have a clear picture of how widespread a problem it is and…

BLS Health & Welfare Bulletin 8: Bluetongue Vaccination

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 18:56:22 +0100

Dear Member

It has come to the attention of the Joint Health & Welfare Group that some of vets appear to be unsure of the vaccinations required for Camelids.

ALL CAMELIDS REQUIRE TWO VACCINATIONS. EACH VACCINATION TO BE 1ml.

THE SECOND VACCINATION TO BE 21 DAYS AFTER THE FIRST.

The message is clear, if you are within the Protection Zone :

Don't hesitate, vaccinate

Vaccine must be ordered via your veterinary surgeon. Livestock keepers may apply to have land which they occupy within 8 km of the Bluetongue Surveillance Zone to be designated as part of that zone.

Please encourage everyone you know who owns susceptible animals to vaccinate them against Bluetongue. It is the only way to beat this disease. It is no good saying ‘Oh I only have a small number of animals so it doesn’t matter if I don’t vaccinate’. IT DOES. We must try to beat this and if we all vaccinate, we are doing our bit for the whole of the agricultural livestock industry.

Clarificationfor Camelids (repeated and updated from Bulletin No.6)

Further to our bulletin 5,we have confirmed the following instructions for camelid owners with Defra ;

1. Vaccinated camelids in the BTV Protection Zone can move into the Surveillance and Free Zones (with the correct licences as described on Wednesday) 60 days after the second injection. (The second injection should be 21 days after the first) . The information in the vaccine packs suggests that only one dose is required for 'other species' but the latest information from Defra is that camelids will require two doses.

2. Camelid movements withinthe BTV zones no longer require a general licence. We do however advise members to keep diary records of all camelid movements onto and off their premises.

3. Thousands of camelids have now been vaccinated to our knowledge. There are reports of mild stiffness, flue like symptoms in a small number of animals the day after the vaccination. There are no other reported side effects. Members are reminded to…

BLS Health & Welfare Bulletin 7: Bluetongue Vaccination

Sun, 18 May 2008 18:14:19 +0100

Dear Member

Bluetongue: Latest situation - 17 May 2008

To date we have had over 3000 Llamas and Alpacas vaccinated against Bluetongue. This is a good number and the message is still very clear:

If you are within the Protection Zone :

Don't hesitate, Vaccinate!

To check the position of your own farm please type your post code into the interactive map on the defra bluetongue website page. It is not permitted under EU law to vaccinate animals outside the Protection Zone. The penalties are severe.http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/bluetongue/latest/index.htm.

However, we have had one report of the loss of an alpaca.

This animal has had a post mortem done by The Ministry and the result found that the animal was anaemic. The Bluetongue vaccine just pushed the animal, who was, due to the anaemia,weak, over the edge.

Both Llamas and Alpacas are known to get anaemia. Anaemiais a blood-related medical condition in which an animal has a low red blood cell (RBC) count and low packed cell volume (PCV). The animal is usually underweight or have had a recent weight loss, depressed and very pale or white mucus membranes.

If you suspect you have an anaemic animal or a sick, weak or old animal, we suggest you contact your vet for advise before vaccinating it.

DO NOT let this stop you vaccinating the rest of your animals.

Don’t forget, we have had reports that a small number of animals may suffer frommild stiffness and flue like symptoms the day after the vaccination. There are no other reported side-effects. Members are reminded to watch out for injection abscesses as they would with any vaccine. If you have queries contact your vet.

Liz Butler

llamaliz@hotmail.com, or 01737 823375.

Joint Health & Welfare Committee

BLS Health & Welfare Bulletin 6: Bluetongue Vaccination

Sun, 11 May 2008 20:24:03 +0100

On 8 May, Defra announced that the Bluetongue Protection Zones will be extended and merged at 06:00 hrs on Monday 12 May, following the delivery of additional doses of Bluetongue vaccine. Vaccination is only permitted within the Protection Zone, therefore in accordance with the Bluetongue vaccination plan, the Protection Zones will be merged by extending the zones into all of Hampshire and West Sussex. The Protection Zone will also be extended into all of Lincolnshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. The Surveillance Zone is unaffected.

On 7 May, Defra issued a tender for 13 million additional doses of Bluetongue vaccine, eight million for use in England and five million for use in Wales. Scotland has also now issued a tender for vaccine.

The message is clear, if you are within the Protection Zone :

Don't hesitate, vaccinate

Vaccine must be ordered via your veterinary surgeon. Livestock keepers may apply to have land which they occupy within 8 km of the Bluetongue Surveillance Zone to be designated as part of that zone.

An epidemiology report on the distribution of Bluetongue infection in Great Britain has also been published. The latest Bluetongue information is available on the Defra website at:http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/bluetongue/latest/index.htm.

Clarification for Camelids

Further to our bulletin 5, we have confirmed the following instructions for camelid owners with Defra:

BLS Health & Welfare Bulletin 5: Bluetongue Vaccination

Fri, 09 May 2008 18:06:49 +0100

Dear Member

Having attended the Defra stakeholder meeting on 6 May we are able to provide the latest news on the Bluetongue situation in England.

The good news is that the cold wet spring and the fact that Intervet has managed to deliver 3 million doses of vaccine three weeks ahead of schedule, means there is a real chance we can stop this disease in its tracks.

The bad news is that there have been 125 farms affected in the UK and a number of calves have been born this spring already infected with Bluetongue. This suggests that BTV8 can over-winter in the foetus and makes pregnant females a potential disease risk.

Vaccine

The vaccine is now available for farms in the Protection Zone (PZ). It is a dead vaccine and should not cause illness. It can only be obtained via your vet who must write a prescription and order the vaccine on your behalf. It is supplied in 20ml or 50ml bottle. It must be used within 8 hours of opening the bottle. In the case of very small herds your vet may supply you with, or deliver and administer, preload individual syringes. Dr Claire Whitehead is currently undertaking research for camelids, but for the time being the advice for camelids is that two 1ml doses should be administered three weeks apart. Full immunity should be realized three weeks after the second dose. There is no benefit in treating cria under one month of age because they are not able to generate immunity. They should receive some protection from their mother's milk.

EU law prevents the vaccination outside the Protection Zone because some areas of Europe are still using live vaccine. Animal movement is permitted within each zone but it is impossible to tell if an animal is suffering from the disease or from a mild live vaccine-induced reaction. Vaccination outside the Protection Zone is therefore prohibited. However, Defra can move the zone boundaries. Once there has been an 80% plus uptake of the vaccine in the current Protection Zone, the Zone will be rolled…

BLS Health & Welfare Bulletin 3: Bluetongue Background and Vaccination/bTB in Wales

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 10:08:36 +0100

13 April 2008

Issued by:Liz Butler

Health & Welfare - British Llama Society.

Dear Member

Bluetongue Serotype 8

Bluetongue 8 is one of 24 serotypes of the disease that first arrived in Northern Europe in 2006. It arrived in England in early August 2007 and so far 125 UK farms have been affected. Experiences in Holland indicate that 2008, the second year for the UK, will be a very difficult one with a much higher rate of infection.

Bluetongue 8 is a virus spread by midges [Culicoides species]. It affects all ruminants but not humans. It is recognised as one of the more virulent types of the disease and the rate of spread can be up to 10 km per day.

It is a notifiable disease and if you suspect infection in your animals you mustinform your local Animal Health Office.

In 2007, 50,000 farms across Europe were affected with considerable loss of life; for example, 27% of the Belgian sheep flock showed signs of the disease and 50% of those died. Losses in Holland were put at 100 million Euros. A number of infected farms in 2006 experienced re-infection again in 2007.

Bluetongue latest:You will probably have seen the press coverage of the fact that France has already had some BTv8 vaccine delivered. This vaccine has come from Merial and is limited to around 1.3m doses which had already been produced as part of the development process. Interestingly, Merial are not ready to deliver any more vaccine in France as the French Government have gone to Intervet for their major early order for BTv8 vaccine. Merial did tender for the English vaccine bank but they could not deliver to the same timescale as Intervet and at this stage the Merial product is still not licensed for use in the UK.

Scotland has announced that it will be putting out a tender for vaccine for later this year and we understand that Wales is considering a further order, as is Defra for England. As far as availability is concerned, the production process is going well and whilst Intervet initially talked about 3…

Bulletin 14 - Defra Information Line

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0100

Dear Member

Animal Health, an executive agency of Defra, has launched a recorded information line for the farming community to use in disease outbreaks.

The information line allows farmers, livestock keepers, vets and other
stakeholders to stay up-to-date with important news and information,
initially about Foot and Mouth Disease and Bluetongue, from the end of a
phone.

This new communication channel allows those without regular access to the
internet to listen to the latest news by simply dialling 0844 884 4600
instead. The information line will be updated regularly. Calls costs 5p
a minute (4.2p plus VAT).

Bulletin 13

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 19:27:34 +0100

Dear Member

Information issued by BAS/BLS Welfare Health and Committee - 28 September 2007

Movement of llamas, alpacas and all other camelids

There are THREE zones in place at this time:

· Risk Zone

· Low Risk Zone

· Bluetongue Zone.

The Risk and Low Risk Zones are in relation to Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).

The Bluetongue Zone is, as it says, for the control of Bluetongue.

The Bluetongue Zone does overlap into the Risk and Low Risk Zones thus making it more complicated!!

Risk Zone for FMD

As far as camelids are concerned, the Risk Zone remains a total shutdown zone. Defra and Animal Health, and the enforcing agency Trading Standards, will rigorously enforce the no-movement of susceptible animals in this area. The counties covered by this are: Essex, Kent, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Surrey, Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Greater London.

Low Risk Zone for FMD

The Low Risk Zone is a bit more relaxed; you can undertake certain movements subject to certain conditions being met first. It covers the rest of Britain, with the exception of the Risk Zone and the Bluetongue Zone.

You will need to print off, fill in and keep for 6 months the self-issuing licence - link: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/fmd/pdf/gl-movement-450-270907.pdf. You will need to fill this in and have it signed by both parties - one for the premises of departure, and one for the premises of arrival. (Both need to be kept for 6 months).
Your vehicle and trailer/van will need to be cleaned and disinfected prior to collection of the animals.
You will need to have a valid movement Licence as issued by the SVS prior to the FMD shut down. These licences allow you to transport livestock on journeys of up to 64kms(Type 1), or all journeys including over 8 hours (Type 2). You will need the correct one.
You must be wearing clean clothes, clean and washed/disinfected boots; washable protective clothing for loading and unloading. These will need to be…

NFU WM FMD Update 25

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 23:58:02 +0100

FMD UPDATE 25 FROM NFU WEST MIDLANDS26/09/07

Contents: Disease situation; farm to farm movements; legal update; Bluetongue; vigilance; contact numbers

DISEASE SITUATION

A 3km Temporary Control Zone has today been put around a premises near Maidenhead, Berkshire within the existing surveillance zone. This is a precautionary measure following a veterinary assessment of clinical signs. Laboratory tests are ongoing.

FARM TO FARM MOVEMENTS

The general licence for certain movements of susceptible animals between premises within the Restricted Zone (EXD450(FMD)(E)) includes a requirement that the owner or keeper of the animals completes the declaration attached to the licence before the movement starts. This licence does not apply to movements from premises in certain parts of the country – see paragraph 2 of the licence. The licence and the declaration can be downloaded from the DEFRA website

This declaration requires the owner or keeper of the animals to confirm that:

· they have read and understood the conditions contained in the licence, and will comply with those conditions;

· they do not consider that any susceptible animals on the premises of origin are showing symptoms of Foot and Mouth disease, or any other notifiable disease;

· the susceptible animals being moved are fit to travel;

· all movement and animal identification legislation has been complied with.

It is important that the person signing the declaration has read and understood the conditions contained in the general licence, and ensures that those requirements are complied with. There is also a section at the bottom of the form for the person moving the animals to complete if they are not the owner or keeper of the animals. It is not necessary to have a vet present when completing this declaration.

This licence only applies to certain movements of pigs, and there are additional requirements for the movement of pigs under this licence. One of these additional requirements…

BLS Bulletin No. 12

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 21:09:45 +0100

Dear Member

Issued by BAS/BLS Welfare Health and Committee - 26 September 2007

Animal Movement Licence

A general licence for the movement of susceptible animals, including camelids, within the 'low risk areas' is now available on the ministry web sites. These documents must be completed and signed by both the sending and receiving person before the journey begins. No multiple drop-offs or picks-ups are permitted and the receiving farm is shut down for all out going movement for 20 days after they receive an animal of any susceptible species, including camelids.

Although movement are now possible in these areas we would urge extreme caution and ask that movement are limited wherever possible.

If you are not sure, please phone your local animal health office.

Licences are available from:

England has produced a general licence for all susceptible species (except pigs) and which does include camelids :

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/fmd/pdf/gl-movement-450-250907.pdf

Scotland has a general licence which covers direct movements of cattle, sheep and goats between premises. Pig movements are covered by general licence No. 29. The movement of other FMD susceptible animals such as deer and camelids direct between premises are permitted by application to your local animal health office for a specific licence (Specific Licence No.28).

Wales has produced a general licence for all susceptible species which does include camelids. It can be accessed fromhttp://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/environmentcountryside/ahw/disease_surveillance_control/ foot_and_mouth_disease

Interactive maps and descriptions of the various zones are available from:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/fmd/latest-situation/index.htm

Brenda Birmingham
Secretary - British Llama Society
Lower Braundsworthy, Shebbear, Beaworthy, Devon EX21 5TB
t: 01409 231704 e: llamarati@aol.com or Secretary@BritishLlamaSociety.com