Potential Risk to Livestock
The Environment Agency has confirmed that a quantity of paint / paint products have entered the Coe Burn and the Aln River in Northumberland following a spillage from a goods vehicle. The products involved are believed to include organic solvents and water based paint.
Based on the information received the likely risk to the health and welfare of farm livestock is perceived to be low, however the exact level of risk cannot be wholly assessed pending the results of laboratory analysis by the Environment Agency.
As a precaution, Animal Health is advising livestock keepers whose land borders the Coe Burn downstream of the A697, and the Aln river from its intake from the Coe Burn, to:
- Prevent access by their stock to water from (and water sourced from) these watercourses, until any visible contamination has cleared. Alternative arrangements for feeding and watering the livestock will need to be made in the interim.
- Monitor their stock closely for evidence of access to contaminated water (e.g. paint staining of muzzles, or illness) and if evidence is found contact their private veterinary surgeons for further advice as soon as possible.
- Report any suspicion of illness or disease in their animals to their private veterinary surgeon.
- Private veterinary surgeons, who have been contacted by keepers with stock showing signs of access to contaminated water, should seek further advice from their local Veterinary Laboratories Agency laboratory.
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
