Back to HOMEPAGE National Beef Association Scotland insists that
vaccine stocks are the only protection tool
capable of extinguishing bluetongue fire
James Irvine
Teviot Scientific, Cultybraggan Farm, Comrie, Perthshire
Filed 28 Jan 08
©www.land-care.org.uk
The National Beef Association (NBA) issued a Press Release today (1) which states NBA Scotland's stance on the necessity for Scotland to have bluetongue vaccine available in advance of the disease reaching Scotland this year.
Specifically, a letter has been sent by the Association to Cabinet Secretary, Richard
Lochhead, calling for an urgent meeting at which it will ask the Scottish Government to buy stocks of Bluetongue (BT) vaccine. At the present time Scotland does not have any supplies of bluetongue vaccine on order.
Hopefully this will help persuade the Scottish Government to take a more proactive role on the matter than has been apparent to date (2).
The next stage should be to persuade the EC to bring its rules pertaining to vaccination against Bluetongue (and indeed other viral diseases of livestock) up to date and relevant to the current situation. At present, inappropriate regulations stand in the way of effective disease control.
Specifically, the EC rule that forbids Bluetongue vaccination in an allegedly Bluetongue-free zone must be changed. Using the device to artificially designate a Bluetongue-free zone as a Protected Zone, in order to get around this rule, is folly. It would, under other EC rules, allow a free flow of potentially infected cattle from high risk areas to come into the Bluetongue virgin territory of Scotland during the six weeks before vaccination could be fully effective. That would be a recipe for disaster.
References
1. National Beef Association (2008), Press Release on the urgent need for Bluetongue vaccine for Scotland Click Here to View pdf
2. Irvine, James (2008). Scottish State Veterinary Service makes depressing comments regarding its policy on vaccination against Bluetongue Disease.
See ANIMAL HEALTH - GENERAL Homepage, filed 20 Jan 08, www.land-care.org.uk Click Here to View
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