Archived News

22nd February 2012

In January I mentioned the emergence of Schallenberg Virus in the east of England, however the numbers of farms and counties affected have risen every week since then, rising to 74 farms with confirmed cases across the south to Cornwall.

Lambs are deformed or aborted and in some instances one twin is born perfectly healthy and the other is not.  Many farmers are reporting cases of re-absorption; ewes confirmed as in-lamb during scanning are empty by lambing time.

 It’s mainly sheep that have been reported so far as the affects have been seen during early lambing.  Just a handful of cattle cases have been reported in the UK so far probably because it’s not main calving period.

Although very little is known about the virus, it’s been affecting livestock in Germany and the Netherlands since last year and the indications are that midges blown across from Europe infected in–lamb ewes last August.

Christopher gave a vaccine to the ewes providing pasteurella and clostridial protection for the ewe and unborn lamb. The booster is given to the ewe each year and helps lamb survival rates.

Christopher’s flock of Hampshire Down sheep were recently scanned and given a mark according to whether they are expecting a single, twin or triplet!

Will inspects the screen to see whether or not the ewes are in lamb

As they went to the ram in November we are hopeful that any infected midges in Hampshire (as that’s where the sheep were at the time) would have been killed off in colder weather.  Farmers will soon know whether the midges can survive winter when they see how lambing goes in April.

Ethelred our Belted Galloway bull was almost two years old when he was gently introduced to the herd; two small groups of heifers and cows to start his working life.  

When pregnancy diagnosed last August, two cows were estimated to be due 23^rd January and one a month later. The second group are due in May and June.

Either the PD-ing was slightly out or the cows didn’t want to calve in the snow, but still no calves!