With Bluetongue disease detected in Suffolk, I ask myself what is happening to our countryside?
And what confidence can we have in Defra, after its recent bungling of foot and mouth disease?
The arrival of bluetongue was a shock, it is spread to farm animals by midges. How can it be controlled? Climate change has even been blamed for its presence, according to this BBC report:
The first-ever case of Bluetongue disease in Britain has been found in a cow near Ipswich, Suffolk.
Defra officials confirmed discovery of the insect-borne virus, which is usually found around the Mediterranean.
All ruminants, which include cattle, sheep, goats and deer, can be infected, but the viral infection is not thought to pose a risk to human health.
Since July there have been nearly 3,000 cases in Northern Europe, fuelling fears of its arrival in the UK.
It is transmitted by the Culicoides imicola midge. It is passed from animal to midge, and from midge to animal - it is not transmitted from animal to animal.
The virus has long blighted Africa, but in recent years has begun to spread northwards into Europe as the range of the biting insects has increased.
Some scientists believe that climate change could be behind its spread, as warmer temperatures have seen the midges gradually move north.
We need to prepare for our changing planet, for our evolving environment.
And on the subject of climate change, Arctic sea ice has shrank to its smallest area on record this year, according to US scientists.
The fabled Arctic shipping route from the Atlantic to the Pacific is normally ice-bound at some location throughout the year; but this year, ships have been able to complete an unimpeded navigation.
Who would have imagined the impact of this could have resulted in a midge striking a cow in Suffolk with a distressing disease which leads to its slaughter?
