France reports bluetongue disease outbreak near Belgian border

France unsurprised as outbreaks occurred in southern Belgium recently

France has reported an outbreak of bluetongue disease on a farm near the Belgian border, Reuters reported, citing the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) on Wednesday.

Bluetongue, spread by insects, can be deadly for domestic ruminants such as sheep, cattle and goats. It has been circulating in the Netherlands, northern Belgium and western Germany since late last year.

The outbreak, which infected a sheep on a farm in the town of Marpent in the Haut-de-France region, was detected on July 30 and confirmed on Aug. 5, the WOAH said in a report based on information given by the French authorities. 

France had been expecting the spread of the disease after several outbreaks were reported recently in southern Belgium.

The French farm ministry said last week it was implementing a regulated zone around the last Belgian outbreak and was starting a vaccination campaign on a voluntary basis to limit the impact of the disease.

It has purchased 600,000 doses to vaccinate sheep from Germany’s Boehringer Ingelheim and 4 million vaccines from Spain’s CZ Vaccines. These would be given free to farmers.