The RBST welcomes the announcement this week that the first batch of Bluetongue vaccine is now available and is ready for distribution to the Protection Zones in England.
One million doses of the vaccine is now obtainable in 20ml bottles. A larger batch of up to two million doses, produced in 50ml bottles, is expected to follow within a few days.
The vaccine will require one single 1ml dose in sheep and two 1ml doses in cattle, given approximately 3 weeks apart. Once opened, the vaccine must be used within 8 hours.
As vaccination is progressing across the Protection Zone, the intention is to then extend or modify the Zone on a county by county basis in order to permit further vaccination.
The RBST urges all cattle and sheep livestock members in the Bluetongue Protection Zone to contact their vet to order their vaccine. According to Defra, the final on-farm price for the vaccine "is likely to be around £27.50 - £33.00 for the 50ml bottles (i.e. 55-66p per ml) and around £16.35 - £19.65 for the 20ml bottles (i.e. 82-98p per ml), plus VAT". Although, all vaccine has to be bought from a vet, farmers can administer their own injections.
All photographs courtesy of Institute for Animal Health (IAH). Produced by the NFU for the Joint Campaign Against Bluetongue
For the latest information on the Protection Zones and the Vaccination Programme go to www.defra.gov.uk/bluetongue [1] or call the Defra helpline tel: 08459 335577
A good briefing on Bluetongue can be found here. [2]
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