The livestock sector has come together to launch a UK-wide survey to better understand the impact bluetongue virus is having on farms.
The survey aims to provide a clearer picture of what is happening on farms so that support can be better directed at impacted farmers.
It seeks to find out what level of clinical signs farmers are seeing in their animals, whether they are experiencing mortality with BTV-3 cases, and what their appetite is to vaccinate in future.
The survey is being led by Fiona Lovatt of Flock Health Ltd and the Ruminant Health & Welfare bluetongue working group, with help from AHDB and the University of Nottingham.
Ms Lovatt said the survey's aim was to sure farmers' experiences and the impact on their animals are captured.
"We know farmers across the country, in and out of the restricted zone, are at the coal face, dealing with daily challenges and disruption due to the BTV-3 outbreak.
“It’s important to note this survey is fully anonymous, so hopefully farmers feel they can share everything they have seen that might be relevant.”
The short online survey is open to all livestock farmers, whether they have experienced confirmed cases of bluetongue on their farm or not.
It aims to gather data on the number of animals affected, the severity of clinical signs, and the wider impacts on farm businesses.
Ms Lovatt added that it was crucial to listen to the nation's farmers and learn to from their experiences.
“Currently a lot of our learnings about the impact of BTV-3 are from the Netherlands who have had more cases so far, so it’s vital we understand if the UK situation differs at all.
"The data collected through this survey will be shared to help inform how the whole industry can best support those dealing with bluetongue, as well as informing preparations for next year’s midge season."
The online survey is accessible via mobile or desktop, takes around 5 minutes to complete, with responses fully anonymous.
It is expected to remain open for several weeks, with results to be shared widely across the industry.
