HL Deb 09 March 1998 vol 587 cc6-8WA
The Countess of Mar

asked Her Majesty's Government:

In which counties and districts in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland there was a statutory requirement for treatment for warble fly eradication, and for what periods, for each year since 1970. [HL834]

Lord Donoughue

The following information is taken from the Reports of the Chief Veterinary Officer for the relevant years for England, Wales and Scotland.

There were no statutory requirements to treat cattle infected with warble fly from 1970 to 1978 in Great Britain.

In 1979, a policy was introduced to reduce the prevalence of warble fly infestation with the intention of moving on subsequently to eradication. In 1979, a statutory requirement was introduced for any animal in GB showing evidence of infestation in the spring to be compulsorily treated. In 1981, this was extended to include additional treatment of such animals the following autumn.

In 1982, warble fly infestation was made a notifiable disease in GB and compulsory whole herd treatment in the autumn was introduced where infested animals were found. In addition, herds suspected of being affected due to their proximity to infected herds were included in the requirement to treat. An infected area policy was introduced in Scotland, followed in 1983 in England and Wales. This required compulsory treatment of all cattle over 12 weeks of age in infected areas. The following infected areas were declared between 1982 and 1986. No infected areas are reported in the Chief Veterinary Officer's Reports for 1987 and 1988.

1982

  • Islay
  • Mull, Iona, Gometra and Ulva
  • Tiree
  • Lismore

1983

  • Anglesey

1984

  • Anglesey
  • Lleyn Peninsula
  • East Cornwall
  • Parts of Dorset and Wiltshire
  • Parts of North Somerset and South Avon
  • Parts of Dumfries and Galloway Region

1985

  • West Cornwall
  • East Cornwall and much of South Devon
    • WA 7
  • Dorset and parts of neighbouring counties including most of South Avon
  • Anglesey and the Lleyn Peninsula

1986

  • West Dorset and neighbouring parts of Somerset
  • South West Devon including Dartmoor

From 1989 in England and Wales (1995 in Scotland), spring and autumn treatment has been required of any herds in which serological evidence of infestation is found together with all herds within a 3km radius of them. 3km zones have been declared as follows:

1989

  • 21: in South West England, Wales, North Midlands and the North of England

1990

  • 6: in Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Gwynedd and Cornwall

1992

  • 2: in Cumbria and North Yorkshire

1993

  • 39: in Avon, Ayrshire, Bedfordshire, Cheshire, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Dyfed, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Lancashire, Lothian, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Somerset, Staffordshire, West Sussex, Wiltshire and Worcestershire

1994

  • 3: in Cumbria, Hereford and Worcester, and Wiltshire

Warble fly was made a notifiable disease in Northern Ireland in 1969, when a statutory requirement was introduced for any animal in Northern Ireland showing evidence, during the period 1 February to 31 August each year, to be notified to and compulsorily treated by the department.

As a result of an upsurge in the level of warble infestation notified during spring 1976, compulsory autumn treatment programmes were carried out as follows:

1976 (1 September-30 November)—Treatment of all cattle in herds in two areas comprising south Down and south east Armagh and south east Fermanagh, and in addition, outside those areas, all cattle in herds which had evidence of infestation in Spring 1976.

1977 (15 September-30 November)—Treatment of all cattle in herds in five areas comprising west Down, Co. Armagh, south east Tyrone, Clogher/Fivemiletown and south east Fermanagh, and in addition, outside those areas, all cattle in herds which had evidence of infestation in spring 1977.

1978 (2 October-30 November)—Treatment of all cattle in herds in seven areas comprising west Belfast, south and mid Antrim, Co. Armagh, west Down, south east Fermanagh, south east Tyrone and Dungannon, and in addition, outside those areas, all cattle in herds which had evidence of infestation in spring 1978.

There have been no compulsory autumn treatment programmes since 1978 to date.

There is no serological surveillance programme for warble fly infestation in Northern Ireland, surveillance being by physical examination on farm and at markets and slaughterhouses.

There have been no cases of warble fly in Northern Ireland since 1994.