Climate change linked to livestock diseases
The Farm Cutting Carbon Toolkit Conference was told yesterday (Monday 27th February) that outbreaks of disease such as the Schmallenberg Virus (SBV) and Bluetongue would become more frequent unless the effects of climate change were urgently arrested.
Chief Advisor on Renewable Energy and Climate Change for the National Farmer's Union (NFU) Dr Jonathan Scurlock told those attending that the warmer climate meant that virus-carrying midges were 'thriving'. Dr Scurlock also added that drought will also become a more frequent problem in future years due to climate change.
Echoing Dr Scurlock's predictions, Chairman of Natural England Poul Christensen added that “We can see climate change impacting on our farms. Birds are nesting earlier and plants are flowering earlier. There should be no doubt about climate change and there should be no doubt about the need to tackle it.”
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