Veterinary Services

Enzootic abortion of ewes (EAE) recorded on 50 separate occasions during the month.

· Bacillus licheniformis abortion

· Salmonella Typhimurium in calves

· Streptococcus suis septicaemia in growing pigs

· Pregnancy toxaemia in lowground sheep

· Lead poisoning in Whooper swans

The Scottish Executive announced a consultation on legislation setting out the legal requirements of a new BSE testing regime and the start of abattoir trials to ensure the new tests are robust. Individual trials will last up to five days in two Scottish abattoirs and a further four in the rest of GB. Both large and small abattoirs are involved. There were 3 clinical and 34 cases of BSE detected through testing in Scotland in 2004.

Scottish abattoir values for steers, heifers and young bulls in March were well ahead of equivalent figures for 2004 while sheep prices at Scottish auctions for hoggs and ewes were well below 2004 values.

March had a rather cold first half with blizzards in Caithness and the Northern Isles, but a very mild second half with a temperature of 17°C recorded at Aberdeen. Mean temperature for the month was 5.6°C, which is 2.1°C above the 1961-1990 average, in the exceptionally above average category. Rainfall and sunshine were close to average.