TESTING to find the cause of the illness that killed 112 cattle on a dairy farm in St Helier is ongoing, said the Environment Minister, who believes it was a localised event.
Deputy Jonathan Renouf said that additional tests were required to establish the cause of the deaths.
The incident, which occurred last month, sent shockwaves through the Island’s farming community, with more than three-quarters of the 137-strong Jersey herd at Woodlands Farm, which is based at Rue de Maupertuis, having died.
Although contaminated feed was initially blamed, Deputy Renouf said the investigation would need to consider other factors.
He said: ‘The Natural Environment team, the private vet and the farmer are working in partnership to investigate the cause of this incident. As part of this work, a range of samples were taken, and the testing process is continuing. We are pursuing the most relevant diagnostic methodologies, in consultation with labs and specialists.’
He added: ‘We are, so far, assured that this was a localised event but need additional tests to be able to say more about what has happened in this case. The testing is complex, and results are not always conclusive in these cases.’
The cattle affected were all from the high-yielding ‘group A’ herd at Woodlands. The farm also has a separate ‘group B’ herd of around 100 cattle which were not affected.
Samples from some of the cattle that died, and from foodstuffs they ingested, were flown to UK laboratories.
