An apparatus comprising: a first network device adapted for communication with one or more other network devices in an IP, Internet Protocol, network using BGP, Border Gateway Protocol, and MVPNs, Multicast Virtual Private Networks; the first network device being configured to originate an actual route by sending a multicast join message to a next-hop network device, and by generating an empty route associated with the next-hop network device for use in limiting a number of withdrawal messages that would otherwise result upon a failure in the actual route; wherein the actual route is specified by a route distinguisher and at least one of a multicast source identifier and a multicast group identifier, wherein sending the multicast join message comprises sending at least one of an (S,G) join message to originate a route of a first type and a (*,G) join message to originate a route of a second type, where S denotes a multicast source, G denotes a multicast group and * denotes an unspecified multicast source, and wherein the first and second types of routes comprise respective Type 6 and Type 7 routes of a Protocol Independent Multicast, PIM; wherein the empty route is specified by a route distinguisher but does not include a multicast source identifier and a multicast group identifier, wherein the route distinguisher is a common factor between the empty route and the respective Type 6 and Type 7 routes to the next-hop network device; and wherein the empty route is further specified by network layer reachability information, NLRI, that includes the route distinguisher of the empty route but does not incorporate any actual join or prune information. a first network device adapted for communication with one or more other network devices in an IP, Internet Protocol, network using BGP, Border Gateway Protocol, and MVPNs, Multicast Virtual Private Networks; the first network device being configured to originate an actual route by sending a multicast join message to a next-hop network device, and by generating an empty route associated with the next-hop network device for use in limiting a number of withdrawal messages that would otherwise result upon a failure in the actual route; wherein the actual route is specified by a route distinguisher and at least one of a multicast source identifier and a multicast group identifier, wherein sending the multicast join message comprises sending at least one of an (S,G) join message to originate a route of a first type and a (*,G) join message to originate a route of a second type, where S denotes a multicast source, G denotes a multicast group and * denotes an unspecified multicast source, and wherein the first and second types of routes comprise respective Type 6 and Type 7 routes of a Protocol Independent Multicast, PIM; wherein the empty route is specified by a route distinguisher but does not include a multicast source identifier and a multicast group identifier, wherein the route distinguisher is a common factor between the empty route and the respective Type 6 and Type 7 routes to the next-hop network device; and wherein the empty route is further specified by network layer reachability information, NLRI, that includes the route distinguisher of the empty route but does not incorporate any actual join or prune information.