Defra permits vaccine use for England’s bluetongue battle

Defra has given the green light for vaccines to be deployed in the fight against the ongoing bluetongue outbreak in eastern England.

Ministers have authorised permits for the use of three unauthorised vaccines against the BTV-3 virus strain – Bluevac-3, Bultavo-3 and Syvazul BTV3 – under licence, although officials have stressed they will not prevent susceptible animals from being infected.

The move came as new figures revealed that the number of premises affected by the present outbreak in Norfolk and Suffolk has now increased to 15. At least 41 individual animals are known to have been infected.

Update

An update issued by the department today (4 September) said: “Available licences to allow use will either be geographically targeted general licences, initially in high-risk counties as part of a phased approach, or specific licences, which can be applied for through APHA. General licensing will be subject to risk assessment.

“Unlike other BTV vaccines, the currently available BTV-3 vaccines are suppressive, not preventive.

“This means that they will not prevent your animals from being infected or infectious, although they may reduce the clinical signs experienced.

“For this reason, all movement controls and trade restrictions in place will still apply to vaccinated animals.”

Farmers have been advised to contact their private vets if they are interested in using any of the vaccines. Full details of the permits and product characteristics for each of the permitted vaccines can be found online.