Stevenson Welcomes Extra Checks to Halt Bluetongue Spread

Banff & Buchan MSP Stewart Stevenson has welcomed additional measures announced today by Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead on livestock coming to Scotland. The measures are aimed at keeping the disease out of Scotland.

Animals entering Scotland from bluetongue control zones will be checked to ensure that all necessary conditions have been met and that pre-movement testing has taken place. Post-movement testing will be performed on livestock not previously tested and any further necessary action will be taken.

The checks are in addition to the legal requirement on farmers to report the movement of animals from any restricted zone to the Scottish Government within three days of the livestock arriving.

Announcing the measures, Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said:

"It is crucially important to keep this disease out of Scotland for as long as possible. Movement conditions and pre-movement testing must be complied with vigorously to confine this disease to the south-east of England. Action will be taken against anyone breaching these regulations.

"The movement of livestock from restricted areas without the necessary tests present the biggest risk to Scotland. These checks will ensure that the necessary procedures for movement within the UK are fully complied with.

"The system will be kept under constant review and industry compliance with pre-movement testing will be monitored. If there is evidence of non-compliance our position will be reconsidered urgently.

"Our best defence remains with individual producers taking care to source their livestock from low risk areas wherever possible.

"The Scottish Government is continuing to work with stakeholders to keep our position on vaccination under review in the light of disease developments. Vaccination will first be used in England and we are talking to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ensure that their targeting of vaccine helps maintain Scotland's free area status."

Stewart Stevenson MSP added:

“It is vitally important that we protect the Scottish farming industry from this disease so I very much welcome these additional safeguarding measures.

“The industry suffered a huge knock with the effects of the movement restrictions imposed when Foot and Mouth struck in the south of England and I don’t want any chances taken in the fight to keep Scotland free of bluetongue.”