The Schmallenberg virus, named after a town in Germany, has become a cause for concern for farmers in Europe.<br /><br />It is thought animals are infected with the virus when pregnant, by being bitten by tiny flues common to farms across Europe, called midges.<br /><br />One farmer lost around 80 animals over the winter period due to either miscarriages or deformations caused by the virus.<br /><br />If they have the virus, the animals can suffer from major abnormalities, their heads pointing backwards, or their feet splayed in such a way that they cannot be born.<br /><br />Al Jazeera's Nick Spicer reports from southern Germany.
