The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has said the implications for livestock trade of revised EU rules on bluetongue are expected to become clear next month.

It emerged this week that the European Commission has moved to reclassify bluetongue virus under its animal disease law, which is expected to result in less mandatory restrictions when cases of the disease are found.

Last Friday (August 7), the commission published updated legal texts to reflect the changes.

Under the revisions, bluetongue will be reclassified from a category 'C+D+E' disease to a category 'D+E' disease only.

EU law has a five category system for classifying diseases and the responses to them.

Category A is the most severe, while category E is the least severe.

The department explained that, under EU Animal Health Law, a category D disease requires measures to mitigate disease risk during animal movements between member states or entry into the EU; and category E diseases require surveillance across the EU.

The more serious category C diseases are diseases which are of relevance to some member states, and for which measures are needed to prevent them from spreading to parts of the EU that are officially disease-free, or that have eradication programmes for that disease.

The reclassification of bluetongue is currently set to come into effect from November 1.

According to the department, the upcoming reclassification of bluetongue reflects the "evolving epidemiological situation across Europe", and the recognition at EU level that the "disease control measures associated with category C diseases are no longer deemed appropriate or effective for bluetongue".

Following the reclassification of bluetongue from category C to category D+E, a greater emphasis will be placed on surveillance and measures governing movements between member states.

Once these changes come into effect, eradication of bluetongue, and keeping a disease-free status, will no longer be deemed a priority under EU animal disease law, it is understood.

The department also said that further updates to animal disease rules for bluetongue are expected to be published in September, at which time the implications involving trade are expected to become clear.

These changes are set to come into effect from November 1 due to the European Parliament asking for more time to scrutinise the proposed changes.