2012-2-27

A new virus is infecting livestock in Britain, sending ripples of alarm through the UK farming community. There is no known treatment for the virus... identified as Schmallenberg disease..and animal health experts are growing concerned.

Various British media outlets are reporting that Schmallenberg disease, which causes birth defects and miscarriages in livestock, has been detected at 74 farms in south and east England.

Officials say they suspect the virus was spread by insects,... such as midges and mosquitoes,... since none of the affected farms imported animals during 2011... from countries in mainland Europe... that had reported cases of the virus.

The disease began appearing in adult cattle in the Netherlands and Germany from August last year... and then from November,... sheep, cattle and goats in those countries, as well as in Belgium... began suffering stillbirths.

The new virus is known to be related to a family of viruses found mainly in Asia, Africa and Australia, but experts say it's not yet clear how it arrived in Europe.

Although humans are thought to be unaffected by the virus... concerns are mounting because there's currently no treatment... and a vaccine could take up to three years to develop. The knock-on effect for consumers is also a worry.

Experts say,... if livestock numbers fall steeply,... supermarkets will face shortages... and the price of meat, especially lamb, will skyrocket. Farmers in Britain are not yet legally required to report cases of Schmallenberg disease,... leading some to speculate that the disease may be much more widespread than figures suggest