REPORTS that the Schmallenberg virus is taking a catastrophic toll on early lambing in the south are not yet backed up by official statistics or by the experience of farm vets on the ground.

As The Scottish Farmer went to press, the Animal and Plant Health Agency said that it had recorded only five confirmed cases of the midge-borne virus since October 2016, four in lambs and one in a calf. APHA conceded that the disease was not notifiable, and outbreaks could go unreported.

British Veterinary Association junior vice president, farm vet John Fishwick, commented that vets were not aware of any exceptional problem with stillbirths or malformed lambs so far this season, and noted that in recent years Schmallenberg had on occasion been blamed for lamb losses that later proved unrelated.

However, he stressed that farmers who suspected that their lambing was being affected by SBV infection should submit suspect foetuses for post-mortem, and get their vet involved.

Based on the word-of-mouth amongst farmers, NSA Scottish region development officer George Milne said: “NSA is hearing of a lot of suspected Schmallenberg cases in lambs born in early lambing flocks and our sympathy is with those people who have been affected, some with considerable numbers of losses.

"But while the symptoms are certainly typical of Schmallenberg, we cannot know the full extent of the problem unless more suspected incidents are confirmed by post-mortem. We urge affected farmers to speak to their vet and submit material to APHA for inspection, as only then can we gain a true picture of the problem across the country.

"It is likely that the true scale of the problem will become clearer as more farmers across the country start lambing, though it does remain a concern that cases are beginning to show so early in the season and the situation will need to be monitored by all farmers as it continues.”