There is likely to be a "greater spread" of bluetongue across the island of Ireland this year compared with last, a Queen's University expert has warned.

Dr. Connor Bamford, lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences and the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen's University Belfast, believes that a wider outbreak of the virus that affected the whole island would have "significant negative impacts" for farmers.

Dr. Bamford said this could result in a reduction in trade and increased costs from vaccination.

However he also said that the extent of this is "hard to predict" and so far acute impact on animals in UK is lower than that observed in mainland Europe.

The Queen's University lecturer is not convinced that it is possible to indefinitely prevent or contain the virus at this stage across the island of Ireland.

Dr. Bamford said taking this approach "would be too challenging, costly and ineffective at constraining the infection".

In his opinion although vaccines are available to "protect against bluetongue" and could reduce spread, they are currently mostly used to mitigate the impact on animal health and welfare.

"There is a vaccine available against BTV3 (bluetongue serotype 3), the main strain involved in this outbreak, but another strain BTV-8 is co-circulating in GB and Europe and easier-to-access BTV-3 vaccines will not protect against BTV-8," the Queen's University lecturer cautioned.

Bluetongue

The bluetongue virus has now been detected in counties Wexford, Wicklow, Laois, Louth, Monaghan, Kildare and Cork according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

The latest case was identified in Co. Cork, according to the department.

There have also been five confirmed cases of bluetongue (BTV-3) in Northern Ireland.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, has this week warned farmers and livestock owners to "prepare for the higher risk period for bluetongue virus".

According to DAFM the virus is spread via midges and temperatures need to be greater that 12°C for a sustained period for the virus to replicate within the midge so that the midge can spread the virus.

The advice to farmers and livestock owners now is to talk to their vets, to decide whether to vaccinate their flocks or herds.