An urgent question relating to the threat of bluetongue arriving in the island will be put to the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) Minister.

The UK Government has recently extended its restricted zone to cover large swathes of the country including Heysham Port.

With many visitors coming over via the port during this year’s TT - which begins on Monday, May 26 – there are concerns the virus could spread to the island.

At this week’s Tynwald sitting, Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Jason Moorhouse will quiz DEFA Minister Clare Barber about the issue and also about the rise in foot and mouth cases across Europe.

Mr Moorhouse will ask what additional precautions and advice will be provided ahead of the TT following the Bluetongue Restricted Zone being extended on Sunday, May 18 to include Heysham Port and concerns about the numbers of notified foot and mouth cases in Europe?

In September last year new safety measures were introduced in the Isle of Man to further protect farm animals from the bluetongue virus.

The Isle of Man remains unaffected, but it has recently been confirmed that the virus, which affects cattle, sheep and goats but poses no risk to humans or food safety, has spread to more farms in England.

The updated regulations align the Isle of Man with the UK and grant the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) the authority to establish control zones, enforce mandatory reporting of symptoms, implement vaccination protocols, and restrict exports.

Bluetongue is spread by midges that can be carried over from mainland Europe during periods of warm weather, and can cause infertility and respiratory problems in livestock.

Meanwhile, there have been outbreaks of foot and mouth disease across parts of Europe, including Germany, Hungary and Slovakia in recent weeks. While the disease is not currently present in the British Isles, there are concerns it will arrive.