The UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer has urged farmers to remain vigilant for bluetongue virus. There has been a recent increase in confirmed BTV-3 cases in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium with some animals showing severe clinical signs. Last November, APHA and The Pirbright Institute identified the first case of the disease in Great Britain through the annual bluetongue surveillance programme.

Bluetongue virus is primarily transmitted by midge bites and affects cattle, goats, sheep and camelids such as llamas. The impacts on susceptible animals can vary greatly – some show no clinical signs or effects at all while for others it can cause productivity issues such as reduced milk yield, while in the most severe cases can be fatal for infected animals. Bluetongue does not affect human health or food safety. The virus can also be spread through germplasm (semen, ova, and embryos) as well as transmitted from mother to unborn offspring.

As of 23rd September 2024, following reports of suspicion of clinical disease in cattle at premises in Norfolk one new case of BTV-3 has been confirmed. This brings the total number of cases to 98. You can keep updated with the latest situation here

Biting midge activity increases with warmer weather, and there remains a very high probability of a new introduction of bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) into livestock in Great Britain in 2024 through infected biting midges being blown over from northern Europe. Biting midges are most active between April and November and the timing of a potential incursion will depend on the temperature and wind patterns.

The British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI) has published new guidelines for using Palforzia®, a treatment that helps children with peanut allergies build tolerance safely. This treatment aims to reduce the severity of allergic reactions in case of accidental exposure to peanuts, and therefore reduce the risk of anaphylaxis. 

Peanut allergy is one of the most common food allergies among children and is often a lifelong condition. Palforzia® works by gradually introducing small amounts of peanut protein to help them build tolerance and reduce severe allergic reactions. The treatment involves multiple visits to increase the dose, careful monitoring, and eventually transitioning to eating peanuts daily in a real-world setting.  

You can read more, and access a link to the guidelines, on the Anaphylaxis UK website here 

A study from the University of Michigan has identified a potential new treatment for food allergies in inulin, a naturally occurring plant fibre commonly used as a supplement, a prebiotic in soda, a replacement for sweeteners and for other products and purposes. 

A paper published in ‘Nature Materials’ describes the inulin gel-based oral immunotherapy’s success in stopping allergic reactions in mice by, in part, targeting bacteria in the gut. The gel prevented severe allergic reactions during and even after being administered, including reactions to common triggers such as peanuts, egg white and milk. 

The research found that inulin gel, specifically formulated with an allergen, normalized the imbalanced intestinal microbiota and metabolites in allergic mice. This normalization led to the establishment of allergen-specific oral tolerance, effectively suppressing allergic reactions to various food allergens. 

You can read more here  

The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT), have recently published an updated position paper on bisphenol A (BPA) .  

BPA is used and authorised in food contact materials (FCMs) such as reusable bottles, tableware, and storage containers, in thermal printing in certain paper products and for protective linings of food and beverage cans and vats. It is prohibited in coatings and varnishes applied to FCMs intended for infants and young children. Where it is permitted, operators must ensure that BPA observes the specific migration limit (SML) of 0.05 mg/kg (EFSA, 2021). The SML set in the European Union (EU) and United Kingdom (UK) was based on the EFSA 2015 evaluation of BPA. 

A temporary TDI (tTDI) was established by EFSA in 2015 of 4 µg/kg body weight (bw) per day However, whilst at the time EFSA concluded there were no concerns from dietary exposure, they were more uncertain about the exposure estimate from non-dietary sources. Therefore, in 2016, EFSA received a mandate from the European Commission (EC) to re-evaluate the risk to public health related to the presence of BPA in foodstuffs. The COT discussed the draft EFSA opinion at their extraordinary meeting in February 2022 and provided comments to EFSA. The final EFSA opinion and diverging opinions by the European Medical Agency (EMA) and the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) were then discussed at the May 2023 meeting. 

In this latest review the Committee considered the new evidence available on BPA, and while it is possible that the TDI would need to be revised to account for this new evidence, the weight of evidence did not support the conclusions drawn by EFSA, or a TDI as low as that derived by EFSA. The Committee had concerns about the intermediate endpoint selected in EFSA’s assessment as the basis of their TDI. It concluded that the endpoint selected and approach applied by BfR were more scientifically robust and appropriate than those used by EFSA. Therefore, the Committee agreed to adopt the TDI of 0.2 ug/kg bw per day derived by BfR. It will publish a supplementary statement in due course.