Department confirms 12 cattle deaths in Wexford botulism case

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has issued an update on the case of a suspected botulism outbreak in Co. Wexford last week.

Also Read: Cattle die from suspected botulism in Wexford

In a statement, the department confirmed that department veterinary inspectors are currently investigating the incident.

The material allegedly associated with the suspected outbreak of botulism in Co. Wexford originated from domestic production, the statement said.

The department noted that it is aware of 12 cattle deaths that have been attributed to suspect botulism.

Veterinary inspectors have visited farms associated with this outbreak. In addition, the farmers are being advised by their veterinary practitioners.

Poultry litter

Farmers are advised not to graze any fields in the vicinity of lands where poultry manure may have been stored or spread recently, while baling silage off such fields is also strongly warned against.

Farmers are also warned not to spread poultry litter that contains poultry carcasses or parts of carcasses, not to chop litter and to check lands thoroughly immediately after spreading to ensure the pasture is carcass-free, remove all offending material.

Where possible, it is recommended to plough litter into land immediately after spreading.

Where possible litter should only be spread on tillage land and immediately ploughed in. Again, check tillage land thoroughly to ensure land is carcass-free.

Where litter is ploughed into land, it is advised to keep dust to a minimum and ensure that there are no grazing animals in adjacent fields.