The bluetongue disease is also worrying farmers in Styria: cows and sheep are affected and nine farms are currently closed. This also affects the price of butter.
They are a maximum of four millimeters in size, but are currently keeping European agriculture on its toes: biting mosquitoes. Mosquitoes that can transmit bluetongue disease. According to the responsible Schmiedtbauer office in Styria, nine of the four farms are currently closed; in fact there are not only suspected but also confirmed cases, each involving a cow. “The animals showed no symptoms at all, but were only noticed during random checks,” said Matthias Bischof, an expert at the Chamber of Agriculture. Symptoms may include fever or lumps on the skin. According to Bishop, the tongue does not necessarily turn blue, which is due to shortness of breath.
These four farms and five others in different districts of Styria – sheep are also affected – are currently closed. “Milk or meat are not affected,” Bischof explains. “But they may not be marketed.” The good news about this disease is that no animal needs to be automatically culled; In addition to prevention, many Styrian veterinarians are currently traveling around the country with vaccinations.
And not against the (more harmless) Tribe 4, but against the more aggressive Tribe 3, which keeps Germany and the Netherlands under control. Bisschop: “It could be that it will come to us in the spring with more warmth.”
What does that have to do with butter?
In Germany, the number of cases of the disease, especially with the more aggressive virus strain 3, is skyrocketing, just like in the Netherlands. This means that a significant number of affected cows are lost – which is noticeably reflected in the milk yield and therefore in the milk fat required for butter production. This results in increased demand for which there is not enough product, causing prices to rise in all countries. In Germany this is currently 30 cents more per cube, which translates into €6.50 per year based on per capita consumption of 5.4 kilos.
Keep prices low
Austria only has a self-sufficiency rate of 75 percent for butter and is therefore dependent on imports and world market prices. However, this is not yet reflected at the supermarket checkouts, Spar says when asked: “We sell almost exclusively local butter and as always we will try to keep prices as low as possible.”
By the way: people are not at risk of the bluetongue disease and cannot become infected. The infection does not even work from animal to animal, only via the mosquitoes mentioned.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
