Press Release - Scottish government must weigh up pros and cons of BT vaccination

The Scottish government should take the sensible precaution of building up a bank of vaccine before spring 2008 in case the BTV8 (bluetongue) virus emerges among herds and flocks in Scotland next summer.

So says the National Beef Association in Scotland which notes that this year BT has spread into Denmark and Switzerland - as well as Southern England and areas of Germany that are close to the Polish border – and is therefore an imminent threat to animal health in Scotland too.

“NBA Scotland is sure that nothing precipitate should be done to pull BT infected livestock, or midges, into the country ahead of the time when BT may break out naturally,” explained its chairman, Iain Mathers of Wardes, Inverurie.

“But it is also certain that if, or when, the disease does arrive we should be properly prepared to meet it. That almost certainly means sufficient quantity of “dead” vaccine being on hand to check the damage the disease can cause and keep Scottish livestock healthy.”

According NBAS the Scottish government has an important role to play in setting out long term plans to erect adequate defences.

“Strict movement controls can help to keep bluetongue BT out and there is nothing wrong in taking advantage of current rules and trying to hold it at bay for as long as possible,” said Mr Mathers.

“However a vaccine barrier cannot be created overnight and it is important that the Scottish Government commits itself to the acquisition of sufficient doses, and then organises their distribution, before BT breaks out irretrievably - which could possibly be as early as next summer.”

“The NBA would like Mr Lochead to order sufficient vaccine to cover all cattle and sheep as soon as possible because manufacture and delivery take time and it would be annoying for herd owners to be hit with the disease and have no means of checking its spread amongst their own stock and then to their neighbours.”

“A decision also has to be made about whether government would back, help to organise, and pay for a national vaccination programme – in which case plans and strategies need to be set in train now.”

“Or whether it should be left to individual farmers to establish their own prevention and protection methods and for vaccination to take place according to individual farm choice with the main role of government being to ensure that sufficient, up to date, vaccination is available for anyone who feels they ought to buy and use it.”

“This latter point is an important part of the BT control debate and NBAS would like to initiate informed discussion on it. Livestock farmers inject against many diseases, and can do the same with BT, as long as sufficient vaccine is available – or would prevention and control be better and more effective if government set in train a compulsory, vaccine based, national control programme?” Mr Mathers added.

For more information contact:

Iain Mathers, chairman NBA Scotland.   Tel. 07801 746600