Veterinary Services

• Fourteen outbreaks of salmonellosis due to Salmonella Dublin in cattle

• Review of diagnoses of clostridial disease in sheep 2003 to 2009
• Most diagnoses of liver fluke disease in sheep for over 15 years
• Encephalitis due to Listeria monocytogenes in lambs fed haylage
• Losses in pigs due to various serotypes of Streptococcus suis

Disease alerts

The following conditions featured in the SAC C VS report for March 2009. Given similar climatic and management conditions, they could be important this year.

• Neonatal calf deaths due to septicaemia and poor colostrum absorption
• Bacillus licheniformis – an important  cause of bovine abortion
• Abortions and ewe deaths due to Salmonella Montevideo
• Acute and chronic fasciolosis in sheep

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

After a mild start, December turned into the coldest since 1981. Mean temperatures were 2.5 to 3.5 degrees Celsius below the 1971 to 2000 normal. The temperature fell to minus 18.4 degrees Celsius at Braemar in Aberdeenshire. In spite of heavy snowfalls, rainfall was generally nearly 50 percent below average. However, sunshine hours were above average, especially in the north.

The Scottish Government announced that vaccination of livestock against bluetongue will be voluntary in 2010. This decision, agreed with the farming industry, follows the success of the compulsory vaccination campaign in 2009.