Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has her department made of the accuracy of the reported cases of blue tongue virus in a) the South West and b) West Dorset.

Reported cases of bluetongue in the South West, including West Dorset, have been confirmed through established surveillance and diagnostic procedures. The presence of bluetongue is confirmed following veterinary assessment and laboratory testing undertaken by The Pirbright Institute, the UK National Reference Laboratory for bluetongue, or other designated Official Laboratories, using validated tests that meet international standards. Defra has confidence in the accuracy of confirmed case reporting. Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency continue to monitor both confirmed and suspected cases closely.