- Thousands of animals undergo bluetongue vaccination campaign
In the battle against the harmful Blue Tongue virus (BTV-3), numerous animals in Lower Saxony have been inoculated. As of August 21, approximately 117,000 sheep, 75,000 cows, and 4,800 goats have received the appropriate vaccine, as announced by the Lower Saxony Agriculture Ministry upon request. Since the first reported case in October 2023 in the Ammerland district, the animal disease has spread rapidly to over 1,000 incidents, according to ministry statistics.
Given the high and rapidly changing infection rate, Agriculture Minister Miriam Staudte has encouraged all animal owners to get their animals vaccinated. The relatively small financial expense is negligible compared to the potential economic losses during an outbreak, the Green politician asserted. According to data from her ministry for the 2023 fiscal year (as of January 15, 2024), there are about 2.44 million cows, around 237,000 sheep, and approximately 29,000 goats in Lower Saxony.
The disease has now spread throughout Germany. The hardest-hit federal state is currently North Rhine-Westphalia with over 2,000 affected sites, followed by Lower Saxony with over 900 sites. Nationwide, over 3,200 sites have reported cases of Blue Tongue virus since autumn 2023.
The Blue Tongue virus is spread by a particular type of blood-sucking insects, known as Gnats. Due to the warm and humid weather in recent weeks, these insects have been particularly active. In severe cases, the infection can lead to the animals' death. However, for humans, the virus is harmless. According to official statements, handling the animals, consuming meat or dairy products, is safe.
Other animals such as alpacas, llamas, deer, and roe deer can also be infected.
The Ministry's encouragement for vaccination extends to all animal owners in Agriculture, as the economic losses during an outbreak can be significant. Building on this, Ensuring the health of various livestock species, including sheep, cows, and goats, is crucial for the local Agriculture sector.
