Outgoing Agriculture Minister Piet Adema predicts there will be significantly fewer sheep in the Netherlands next year due to the bluetongue virus. He fears a tragedy for the industry.
“The size of the sheep population will decrease tremendously and dramatically by next year,” he said after consulting with his European minister colleagues in Luxembourg.
Cases have been reported in 2,500 sheep farmers in the Netherlands. “Thousands of sheep die every day in the Netherlands,” Adema said. “Due to the virus, reproduction is now impossible. “This means that next year you will see the impact of not only the sheep dying, but also the unborn lambs.”
Vaccine
Following the consultation, he and colleagues from Germany and Belgium once again called on the pharmaceutical industry to develop a vaccine.
“We hope the disease will subside somewhat over the winter, but there will undoubtedly be a resurgence in the spring. It would be nice if we had a vaccine beforehand. The sooner the better.”
Adema expects the number of infections to decrease in winter because virus carriers are less active. These little flies, namely mosquitoes, do not thrive in the cold.
Bluetongue disease is a disease seen only in ruminant animals such as sheep, cattle and goats. The disease is especially fatal in sheep. They may have a high fever, their tongue may turn blue, they may drool and limp. People cannot be infected.
Source: NOS
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
