Animal movement register

Animal movement register
Advice on bluetongue

Recent tests by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) on animals at farms in the south-east have proved positive for the disease bluetongue. For the latest information, visit DEFRA's dedicated Bluetongue webpage.

These cases are the first of the disease in the UK although it has been widely detected in animals in northern Europe since 2006.

Background - what is bluetongue?

Bluetongue is an animal disease spread by two types of midges. It does not affect humans and does not affect the food chain.

Because it is spread by midge bites it is not spread directly from animal to animal across a herd, unlike other animal diseases such as foot and mouth. It is a disease of ruminants, including sheep, cattle, deer, camelids (eg llamas) and goats.

Further information on bluetongue, including maps and descriptions of the zones, can be found on the DEFRA website.

What does this mean for livestock owners in Croydon

The London Borough of Croydon is in the bluetongue control zone and enforces the bluetongue restrictions through its Environment, Culture & Public Protection department, which contracts the City of London's Animal Health & Welfare Services team to carry out animal health functions on its behalf.

Local farmers and livestock owners

What movements can take place

there are no restrictions on the movement of pigs as they are not susceptible to bluetongue
you can move ruminants anywhere within the bluetongue control zone (CZ) that is not covered by the FMD restricted zone
you can move ruminants into the bluetongue protection zone (PZ) for slaughter
you can move ruminants to specifically licenced abattoirs outside the PZ
you can move ruminants into the bluetongue CZ from the PZ or from the area outside the FMD restricted zone, however you must then comply with the rules within the control zone
you can move ruminants between premises in different bluetongue control zones
controls as a result of the disease apply only to the movement of animals. This means there are no additional bio-security controls, no areas of land or footpaths closure and no restrictions on human movements, so the countryside currently remains open to the public.