2023-11-02 16:48:49
Bluetongue (BCF) has already appeared in France several times, before being eradicated. It is back in France, also transmitted by biting midges. It is transmitted to all ruminants, so can also affect cattle.
“There are outbreaks of FCO 8 in Gard and Hérault, underlines Sabine Atger, director of the Bouches-du-Rhône Health Defense Group (GDS). A new strain appeared in France in early August, which appears to have a strong impact on sheep.”
With more than 140,000 sheep in Bouches-du-Rhône, caution remains essential for breeders. However, there is no need to panic, for Luc Bourgeois, breeder in Saint-Martin-de-Crau and member of the Departmental Sheep Federation. “The FCO had already appeared 15 years earlier, but it was not the same. In the territory, we are using hardy breeds, so they should resist the virus quite well.“, he declares.
But for him, there is no question of resting on his laurels: “What is starting to become worrying is MHE, which can, in certain cases, affect sheep, but above all which creates movement restrictions for all animals in regulated areas. Pest control, suspended sales… All this will also have an economic impact on us.”
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