ORGANISERS of this coming Saturday's Orsett Show are stepping up to the challenge of replacing a number of the animal attractions following a precautionary restriction imposed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Yesterday (Tuesday, 3 September) it was announced by Defra that restrictions on movements of cattle, sheep, goats, deer and other ruminants and camelids (including llamas and alpacas) imposed in Suffolk and Norfolk has been extended to Essex.

The decision to expand the restricted zone came after more cases of the bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) were confirmed in Suffolk amid continued evidence of local transmission.

While the latest case remains many miles away from Thurrock, Defra tends to work by county lines, so Orsett is included in the restricted zone even though there are no recorded cases in the region. As of 2 September, the virus has been confirmed in 41 animals across 13 premises. The first case was confirmed in Norfolk on 26 August.

Bluetongue does not affect people or food safety. It is not contagious, but outbreaks happen when it is transmitted by insects so Defra try to control its spreading by restricting animal movement and trade regulation. Animals affected by the disease can suffer a variety of symptoms that affect their health and in some severe cases they may die.

Essential movement of susceptible animals can take place without a licence, but farmers have been urged to do so only when absolutely necessary.

The marquees are already going up to house many of the attractions for families at Orsett Show.

Attending a rural show is not deemed essential so in the interests of protecting animals, showing of the animals and events like sheep shearing and animal petting is not permitted.

The ban is clearly a significant blow to a traditional rural country show like Orsett, but many, many attractions remain – including all the horse events, some of which may be expanded.

And organisers are hurriedly seeking other, non-animal attractions to fill any vacant sites on the showground.

Fairground ride operators are already on site and ready to share the fun.

Show secretary Georgina Clark said: "Obviously it is a disappointment as showing animals, particularly some of the larger cattle, has always grabbed visitors' attention – and we were planning the return of the popular sheep-shearing show and would have had llamas and alpacas, all of which are particularly appealing to children.

"However, it is traditionally a farming show and the agricultural community lives with this sort of thing on a regular basis so we know that disappointment can be taken in its stride and there will still be a host of things to do.

"And we still hope to bring in additional attractions.

"Whatever happens, the show will go on and we are confident that it will once again prove to be a memorable and very enjoyable family day."