Farmers are being advised to be vigilant for any signs of lumpy skin disease (LSD) in cattle, as both France and Italy battle outbreaks of the contagious disease this summer.
Lumpy skin disease recently made headlines after the organisers of the Tour de France had to shorten stage 19 of the tour due to an outbreak of the disease among cattle in the region.
Ireland has never had a recorded case of lumpy skin disease and the Department of Agriculture confirmed that there have been no movements of LSD susceptible animals into the country from Europe since July 2024.
“This is due to the restrictions relating to outbreaks of bluetongue disease in European countries. Restriction zones around the current outbreaks in France and Italy mean susceptible animals from affected regions may not currently be moved into Ireland,” a spokesperson told the Irish Farmers Journal.
Were an outbreak of LSD to occur in Ireland, all susceptible animals on the affected farm would be culled and tracing of any movements of in contact animals and animal products would be performed, the spokesperson said.
Restriction zones, known as protection (20km) and surveillance (50km) zones, would be established around the location of an outbreak.
“The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine recommends that farmers be vigilant for the signs of LSD. Lumpy skin disease is a notifiable disease, which means that any suspected case must be reported to the Department without delay. The Department recommends farmers apply good general biosecurity, as this is the best way to protect their herds from disease threats, including exotic diseases such as LSD. Any farmer intending to move cattle into Ireland from the continent should contact their local regional veterinary office for advice in advance.”
The disease was first seen in southern Africa in the 1920s. It is currently endemic in most of Africa, parts of the Middle East and Turkey.
It became a serious concern in Europe after it spread through a number of countries: Israel (2012), Turkey (2013), Azerbaijan (July 2014), Russia (July 2015), Greece (August 2015) and further into the Balkans in 2016.
What is lumpy skin disease?
Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a contagious viral disease that mainly affects cattle, water buffalo and certain wild ruminant animals.
It is spread by insects such as biting flies, mosquitoes and ticks, known as vectors, which feed on skin lesions of infected animals and then transmit it to other animals.
Insects that spread infection between animals are most active between April and November in Ireland and are commonly found on farms, the Department has advised.
“The virus may also be spread through use of contaminated needles or farm equipment. Spread through direct contact with an infected animal is considered unlikely.
“Infected bulls can excrete the virus in semen, however transmission of the virus via infected semen has not been demonstrated,” the Department said.
The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) says that long-distance spread of the disease is usually as a result of movement of infected animals and it can also be spread by wind transporting insects carrying the virus.
Symptoms
The main symptom of lumpy skin disease is characteristic lumps or lesions on the body of the animal. There are other symptoms such as:
Fever persisting for up to one week.Reluctance to eat.Lower milk yield.Weight loss.Discharges from the eyes and nose.
Ireland has never had a recorded case of lumpy skin disease.
It is not a zoonotic disease so does not pose a threat to human health, neither by direct contact with an infected animal, or through consumption of animal products from an infected animal.
The WOAH states that early detection and rapid response is important to controlling an outbreak of LSD.
This response includes movement control and vaccination.
Outbreaks in
the EU
The first case of LSD was confirmed on 29 June in France. This was the first occurrence of the disease in France. As of 26 August, 77 outbreaks of the disease have been confirmed.
In Italy, the first case of LSD was confirmed on 20 June, which was the first occurrence of the disease in the country. Testing has shown that the virus in Italy is closely related to other clusters found.
According to the WOAH, the only confirmed outbreak in mainland Italy was as a result of legal movement of animals from a confirmed outbreak in Sardinia three weeks previous.
Farmers are being advised to be vigilant for any signs of lumpy skin disease (LSD) in cattle, as both France and Italy battle outbreaks of the contagious disease this summer.
Lumpy skin disease recently made headlines after the organisers of the Tour de France had to shorten stage 19 of the tour due to an outbreak of the disease among cattle in the region.
Ireland has never had a recorded case of lumpy skin disease and the Department of Agriculture confirmed that there have been no movements of LSD susceptible animals into the country from Europe since July 2024.
“This is due to the restrictions relating to outbreaks of bluetongue disease in European countries. Restriction zones around the current outbreaks in France and Italy mean susceptible animals from affected regions may not currently be moved into Ireland,” a spokesperson told the Irish Farmers Journal.
Were an outbreak of LSD to occur in Ireland, all susceptible animals on the affected farm would be culled and tracing of any movements of in contact animals and animal products would be performed, the spokesperson said.
Restriction zones, known as protection (20km) and surveillance (50km) zones, would be established around the location of an outbreak.
“The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine recommends that farmers be vigilant for the signs of LSD. Lumpy skin disease is a notifiable disease, which means that any suspected case must be reported to the Department without delay. The Department recommends farmers apply good general biosecurity, as this is the best way to protect their herds from disease threats, including exotic diseases such as LSD. Any farmer intending to move cattle into Ireland from the continent should contact their local regional veterinary office for advice in advance.”
The disease was first seen in southern Africa in the 1920s. It is currently endemic in most of Africa, parts of the Middle East and Turkey.
It became a serious concern in Europe after it spread through a number of countries: Israel (2012), Turkey (2013), Azerbaijan (July 2014), Russia (July 2015), Greece (August 2015) and further into the Balkans in 2016.
What is lumpy skin disease?
Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a contagious viral disease that mainly affects cattle, water buffalo and certain wild ruminant animals.
It is spread by insects such as biting flies, mosquitoes and ticks, known as vectors, which feed on skin lesions of infected animals and then transmit it to other animals.
Insects that spread infection between animals are most active between April and November in Ireland and are commonly found on farms, the Department has advised.
“The virus may also be spread through use of contaminated needles or farm equipment. Spread through direct contact with an infected animal is considered unlikely.
“Infected bulls can excrete the virus in semen, however transmission of the virus via infected semen has not been demonstrated,” the Department said.
The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) says that long-distance spread of the disease is usually as a result of movement of infected animals and it can also be spread by wind transporting insects carrying the virus.
Symptoms
The main symptom of lumpy skin disease is characteristic lumps or lesions on the body of the animal. There are other symptoms such as:
Fever persisting for up to one week.Reluctance to eat.Lower milk yield.Weight loss.Discharges from the eyes and nose.
Ireland has never had a recorded case of lumpy skin disease.
It is not a zoonotic disease so does not pose a threat to human health, neither by direct contact with an infected animal, or through consumption of animal products from an infected animal.
The WOAH states that early detection and rapid response is important to controlling an outbreak of LSD.
This response includes movement control and vaccination.
Outbreaks in
the EU
The first case of LSD was confirmed on 29 June in France. This was the first occurrence of the disease in France. As of 26 August, 77 outbreaks of the disease have been confirmed.
In Italy, the first case of LSD was confirmed on 20 June, which was the first occurrence of the disease in the country. Testing has shown that the virus in Italy is closely related to other clusters found.
According to the WOAH, the only confirmed outbreak in mainland Italy was as a result of legal movement of animals from a confirmed outbreak in Sardinia three weeks previous.
SHARING OPTIONS