So, Suffolk has the first case of bluetongue ever found in the UK!


Let’s take a look at this in more detail …. live calves were exported out of Ipswich Port over to France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Spain, from 3rd September 2007 for a two week period, during which time the dirty smelly lorries returned to the UK via Ipswich Port to collect the next load of calves from the Scottish Borders and the West Country.


Baylham House Rare Breeds Farm where bluetongue disease has been detected is just off the A14 and the farm has a river running though it. The river runs straight from the Port and the lorries would have used the A14 road.


A week later we have bluetongue within 6 miles of the Port and a stone’s throw from the A14. Midges could have easily been transported back to the UK via a dirty lorry from Europe.


Bluetongue has been traveling its way up through Northern Europe in recent years. Experts are saying the midges were blown over due to the warmer weather. If this is indeed the case, why were these midges not blown over when it was warm, unlike now? It is late September and temperatures are not particularly warm. Surely if these midges were blown over the Channel they would have landed in the south first and not inland in the east.


Is this a bit of a co-incidence or just bad luck?