Winter - Classical MileEnd Alpacas

News Winter Slows Bluetongue / Registry Audit / Standardising Health Issues / Dutch and Belgian Show / Mange Project / Show Notice / French Show and Sale
Winter Slows Bluetongue
BAS Registry Audit for DEFRA
Bluetongue cases have slowed with
the onset of winter and there is some
hope that animals will be permitted
to move out of the restricted
zones to live during a ‘seasonally
vector free period’. This would be
between January and March as this
corresponds directly to a period of
low midge activity when midges
are either dying off, inactive and/or
unable to transmit virus.
Bluetongue is a viral disease of
ruminants spread by a biting midge
that is thought to have reached the
UK from Europe in August 2007.
DEFRA issued a tender to supply
between 10 and 20 million doses
of Bluetongue BTV-8 vaccine in
November 2007 and it is hoped
that vaccine will be available by
the summer. In the government’s
Disease Control Policy Statement
they say: ‘In keeping with the
principles set out in the Bluetongue
Control Strategy, which was
developed in partnership with the
farming industry, livestock keepers
will be offered the opportunity to
purchase vaccine from the bank.
We are developing a detailed plan
with representatives of the farming
industry, Bluetongue scientific
experts and others as to how a
vaccination programme would work.’
There have also been discussions
as to whether expanding the
Surveillance Zone to the whole
of England so that more animal
movements would be permitted
inside that zone would be of
economic benefit. The assumption is
that movement restrictions would be
in place for a full twelve months.
Mange Project
Mange mites in alpaca, llama and
goat populations in the UK are the
subject of a new research project at
the University of Bristol Veterinary,
Parasitology & Ecology Research
Group. Breeders are asked to fill in
a questionnaire that will allow the
researchers to study the prevalence
of mites and the possible crosstransmission
between sheep and nonovine
species. Follow up farm visits are
expected to collect mite samples for
DNA analysis. Jacqueline Lusat, Dr
Eric Morgan and Professor Richard
Wall will examine existing methods of
control and then try and find new and
more effective control techniques.
The bluetongue virus appeared
in Germany, Benelux and France
in 2006 and has inexorably spread
with large areas of France now being
in a restricted zone. However the
five alpacas reported to have died of
bluetongue in Belgium turned out,
on post mortem, to be free of the
disease.
In December, the Veterinary
Record carried a report on the death
of an alpaca from bluetongue in
central Germany from veterinarians
M. Henrich M. Reinacher and H.P.
Hamann. Three months before
its death the alpaca gave birth to
a healthy cria. Four weeks before
it died, the alpaca showed signs
of colic with recumbancy and
tympanic abdomen. The animal was
degassed via nasogastric intubation
and recovered quickly but the
cause of the clinical signs remained
undetected. Immediately before the
infection both mother and cria were
in excellent body condition and both
showed no sign of an underlying
disease.
Acute clinical signs started
with ‘hiccup-like’ breathing and
a stertorous sound discernable by
auscultation. One hour later the
animal was inappetant, recumbent
and lethargic. Seven hours later the
animal was observed coughing and
mildly disorientated. Fourteen hours
after the first observation of signs,
the animal died.
Sequences of bluetongue virus
were found in tissue samples of the
blood, lymph nodes and spleen. The
rest of the herd, including the cria,
remain healthy.
Show Notice
Breeders from Holland, Belgium,
France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy,
and of course Germany are expected
at the International Alpaca Show
2008 organised by the Alpaca
Association e.V. at Ulm in Germany
on March 16. The organisers hope
to have around 150 alpacas at the
show which will be judged by the
UK’s Val Fullerlove. There will also
be a market with at least twenty
five different trade stands selling
products associated with the alpaca
business.
For more information contact
Jochen Kramer info@alpacaland.de
A national herd audit has been accurate and up to date. This
put in train by the British Alpaca follows the outbreaks of Foot and
Society Registry in order to Mouth and Bluetongue when
ensure that the records of all the the registry had to work closely
alpacas registered in the UK are with DEFRA to locate and test
alpacas in the affected areas. It
is understood that DEFRA do
not want to impose legislation
to administer the movement
or registration of alpacas but
instead prefer the BAS to provide
the essential interface between
owners and governments.
A Show for Dutch and Belgians
On Sunday March 16th 2008 a animals. This also gives the smaller
small group of alpaca breeders will alpaca owners who own only wethers
organise the first ever alpaca show a chance to bring their animals to a
in the Netherlands this year in the show.
town of Hapert, about 15 km from Besides judging the alpacas there
Eindhoven. Mr Dominic Lane will will be a lot of tradestands where
judge the animals and fleeces and various businesses will promote their
on Saturday evening he will hold company and products. There is also
a workshop for Dutch and Belgian animation for the younger visitors
alpaca breeders. A unique event in like pony rides and a petting zoo. For
this show will be the wether-class more information visit our website at
where the audience will judge the www.alpacashow.eu
Standardising Health Issues
Spanish alpaca breeders Nigel
• Agreeing similar movement
and Ginny Cobb have found the requirements across the EU for farm
different health protocols for alpacas to farm or farm to show
across Europe frustrating to say the • Research into camelid diseases,
least. They have come up with this in particular, TB, BT, FMD and
proposal for an EU Camelid Health brucellosis and development of
Committee.
preventative measures
This committee should be appointed • What Bio-security measures should
with the objective of getting better be taken at the farm
standardised health arrangements for • Testing of camelids for disease
camelids across the EU
prevention - what is required and
To achieve this it will need the how often.
associations across the EU to
• Possible notification of reasons for
work together through an effective deaths of alpacas
health committee, appointed by the We feel that all camelid owners
associations and working closely across the EU should ask their
with each country’s Department of associations to work together to
Agriculture
achieve this.
The sort of issues that this health www.andaluciaalpacas.com
committee could investigate might
include:
French Show and Sale
International judge Dominic Lane will be judging at the French Alpaca Show
held at Vierzon in the centre of France on March 29 that will be followed by a
sale of stud animals the following day March 30.
For more information contact Marie-Genevieve Lion at Lionpitou@aol.com
Alpaca World Magazine Winter 2007 / 08