Devon County Council backs £180,000 bluetongue virus support fund

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 15 Oct, 15:02 · Archive

Devon County Council has reinstated a three-year support fund worth £180,000 to help farmers hit by bluetongue virus.

Devon County Council has agreed to reinstate a support fund to help farmers dealing with bluetongue virus, allocating £180,000 over three years, or roughly £60,000 annually. The decision came after the council heard of the scale of the outbreak across the county and the farming community's sense of being overwhelmed and isolated.

Devon has been hit particularly hard by the virus. Of the 3,370 infected farm premises across the UK, over a third are in Devon, equating to 1,277 farms. Cornwall and Somerset follow as the second and third most affected areas with 363 and 346 cases respectively, making the South West a major victim of the outbreak.

Councillor Cheryl Cottle Hunkin, the cabinet member for rural affairs, described the government's response as an 'absolute shambles'. She called for improved communication from the government, subsidised or funded vaccine programmes like those in some European countries, increased surveillance, and better protection as climate change makes the region more vulnerable. The government said last month it had sped up bluetongue diagnosis by allowing vets to declare clear-cut cases on site rather than waiting for laboratory results, which had been taking weeks. It also advised farmers they could apply for government-funded vet visits for advice on protecting livestock.

How it is being reported

• ‘Absolute shambles’ of government bluetongue response reignites Devon support fundDevon County Council has agreed to restart a farming support fund following the bluetongue virus outbreakNorth Devon Gazette · 15 Oct, 14:45
• Urgent bluetongue help for Devon farmers after ‘absolute shambles’“Farmers really are at breaking point"DevonLive · 15 Oct, 11:14

In this story: Devon County Council · Devon · Cornwall · Somerset · Cheryl Cottle Hunkin

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