The Dutch livestock industry is struggling to cope with yet another contagious virus: Schmallenberg. It's the seventh outbreak of a livestock disease in the last fifteen years.

The Schmallenberg virus appears to be less virulent and dangerous than the other recent livestock viruses. Nonetheless, it could have a major economic impact on the sector. Russia has already banned the import of live sheep and goats from the Netherlands, and is considering a ban on all cattle products. Russia’s annual import of cattle products from the Netherlands are worth 30 million euros. The concern is that other countries could follow suit.

Deformed
The Dutch authorities are warning people not to overreact as the Schmallenberg virus is not considered to be dangerous to humans. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control there have been no cases of human infection, and scientists are not sure it is even possible.

In livestock the virus predominantly affects breeding. Infected animals give birth to deformed young which are either stillborn or die shortly after birth. In Germany, as many as one quarter of all newborns at infected farms are deformed.

With the right treatment recovery can be quick, within a week after becoming infected. However, if the virus takes hold soon after fertilisation, it can cause birth defects.

Jan Klomp is a sheep farmer in the southern Dutch province of Zeeland. One out of every six of his newborn lambs this year has been deformed.

“Yes, this is a deformed one,” he says, as he struggles to help a ewe deliver her lamb. “A big lamb – it’s also breach. Normally, it would be flexible. But since the spine is deformed, it’s not cooperating at all.”

It takes Jan some effort to pull the deformed lamb from the birth canal. It is still breathing when he finally gets it out, but it dies shortly after. Jan says all the dead lambs have made him appreciate the healthy ones even more.

The Schmallenberg virus is named after the small town in the German state of North-Rhine Westphalia where the first infection was discovered last November. By early December, animals infected by the virus were found at other German farms as well as Dutch and Belgian farms. It has now also crossed the English Channel, the first cases in the UK having been confirmed earlier this week. Besides birth defects in cows, sheep and goats, the disease can also cause diarrhoea, fever, apathy and reduced milk production in adult cattle.

Import bans
The virus is thought to be spread by midges, tiny flies which feed on livestock’s blood. But Dutch scientists suspect mosquitoes may also be carriers.

To date, 72 sheep farms and 86 cattle farms have reported birth deformities consistent with the disease. Following the first cases in December, Deputy Minister Henk Bleker promptly required all Dutch farmers to register such cases with the authorities.

Mr Bleker is doing his best to calm the nerves both of Dutch farmers and of the countries that import their products. So far, Russia and Mexico are the only countries to have announced import bans, but Mr Bleker has asked the European Commission to step in to help prevent what he considers to be unreasonable bans.

“If people have a good reason to ban imports, than you have to make sure we do better here in the Netherlands. But if there’s no good reason for it, then I think you have to team up with the EC and take it up with the Russians straight away.”

No fun
For the Dutch farmer, the perception of an industry in trouble is a major concern. Jan Klomp, the sheep farmer in Zeeland, is tired of the cycle of disease.

“Here we go again. We’ve had Blue tongue, Q fever… in two or three years, there will probably be another one. It’s no fun.”

Alexei Alekseenko, from the Russian Food Safety Authority, says the Netherlands has till the end of the week to prove that Dutch cattle products are safe. Deputy Minister Bleker has his work cut out for him.