Warning issued over delays in ewe vaccine supply

An animal health company has warned that fresh supplies of its enzootic abortion (EAE) vaccine for ewes are unlikely to be available in the UK until at least October.

Ceva Animal Health said it “deeply regrets” the continuing problems with stocking its Cevac Chlamydia vaccine after it confirmed a delivery expected later this month will not now be made.

In a statement issued on 7 August, the company said an initial gap in supply from June until present was caused by a batch being out of specification.

‘No certainty’

Although a new delivery had been anticipated at the end of this month, ahead of the main vaccination season, the firm now says that has been delayed until October and “there is no certainty of this delivery”.

Roy Geary, Ceva’s northern European vice-president, said: “The manufacturing of vaccines is a complex process that involves stringent quality control measures and adherence to regulatory guidelines.

“There have been unforeseen manufacturing issues at our production facilities, which have temporarily affected the ability to meet the demands of the UK sheep market within the main seasonal vaccination period for EAE. As a responsible provider, we are actively addressing these issues to minimise the impact on customers.”

The company is advising vets and farmers to follow advice jointly issued last month by the Sheep Veterinary Society and the Sheep Antibiotic Guardian Group, which can be found here. (insert link – https://sheepvetsoc.org.uk/news/sheep-veterinary-society-svs-and-sheep-antibiotic-guardian-group-sagg-advice-for-when-an-enzootic-abortion-eae-vaccine-is-unavailable/).