Department 'satisfied' it has sufficient bluetongue testing capacity
The Irish Department of Agriculture has confirmed it has sufficient laboratory capacity to test for the bluetongue virus following a recent case in Wexford. Farmers are being urged to vaccinate their livestock as the primary defense against the disease.
Why it matters
Effective disease management is vital for the Irish agricultural sector to prevent economic losses and protect animal welfare.
Some 11,000 animals have been sampled and tested for bluetongue virus (BTV) antibodies and almost 4,000 animals have been sampled and PCR tested in laboratories, the Department of Agriculture has said.
It added that it has designated four private laboratories to carry out bluetongue testing and that it is satisfied there is sufficient testing capacity.
PCR testing of official samples is carried out at the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) in Backweston, the national reference laboratory for bluetongue.
The Department said that results are usually returned within a week, “although issues encountered during testing may increase the turnaround time”.
Antibody testing (ELISA) is carried out at the Cork blood testing laboratory.
However, this cannot distinguish between antibodies produced following vaccination and those resulting from natural infection, meaning that results need to be interpreted in the context of vaccination status and alongside PCR testing and other relevant information.
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