Botulism outbreak cattle put down

Vets are concerned at the number of botulism outbreaks in cattle

About 200 cattle on a beef farm near Ecclefechan have been destroyed after contracting botulism.

It is the most serious of four outbreaks in Scotland in recent weeks - the other farms were in Ayrshire, Aberdeenshire and Perthshire.

Tests are under way into the cause - thought to centre on cattle coming into contact with contaminated poultry litter or animal feed.

Veterinary experts are concerned at the number of outbreaks in the past month.

The Scottish Agricultural College's veterinary manager Douglas Gray said cases like the Dumfries and Galloway one were rare.

Risk warning

"Previous to this we have only really been aware of one confirmed outbreak of botulism in cattle in Scotland and that was about two years ago," he said.

"Obviously, having had a total of four outbreaks over this early summer period is cause for concern.

"Two of the outbreaks have definitely been associated with the application of poultry litter to grazing ground," he said.

Mr Gray added that in a third case it appeared that a shortened gap between applying litter and putting animals on to the land may have been to blame.

The SAC is urging farmers to be aware of the risks of botulism in cattle that are in contact with poultry litter or animal feed contaminated with wild bird or rodent carcases.