Department of Agriculture Holds Second Meeting After Bluetongue Virus Confirmed in Wexford Cattle

The Department of Agriculture has met for a second time to discuss next steps, after bluetongue virus was identified in Ireland.

The animal disease can cause severe illness in livestock, and a case was confirmed in a cattle herd in County Wexford over the weekend.

Testing is now taking place on farms in the county throughout today and tomorrow. It’s understood Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon is awaiting a briefing from his officials in relation to today’s meeting and says surveillance is ongoing.

Tom Doyle, Chair of the Wexford IFA, reassured that there are no human health risks and emphasized that the outbreak, though concerning, is contained due to the low temperatures preventing the spread of midges, which carry the virus