VIDEO: Schmallenberg virus outbreak expected

The Institue for Animal Health (IAH) has warned that the Schmallenberg virus has survived the winter and an outbreak is likely to come over the coming months.

Professor Peter Mertens head of vector-borne diseases at the IAH has said that the virus could potentially spread throughout the UK.

While Schmallenberg is not expected to devastate the sheep population at large, the potential is there for individual farms to suffer heavy lambs losses if the virus strikes ewes at the ‘wrong’ stage of pregnancy.

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