Blu Tongue

[redhill]

I have just returned from the meeting that Sue mentioned, and will give you the information I gained and hope it may answer some of your questions.
1, as already mentioned the vacine will be available from your vet for administration by the animal owner.
2, it will be available in the first instance only to people/animals in the protection zones, as each of these zones are vaccinated then the protection zone will be extended until all areas are covered, this is because there will not be enough vacine available for all who want it initially but manufacture will continue so in time will be available for all areas protected and survalance,
3, the cost of the vacine should be no more than £1 per dose and could be less depending on your vets pricing system.
4, it was suggested that you give your vet a total of the number of animals you wish to vacinate asap in order that he can be ready with his figures as soon as he is able to order.
5, at the question of what was intended for the suseptable feral and wild animals only a shrug was forth coming (I don't think they had got round to thinking about that one)
6, apparently a single bite from a midge has only a ten million to one chance of causing an infection, it takes bites from about ten midges to infect the animal,
7, even though Intervet who have the contract for the manufacture of the vacine is a Dutch firm Britain will get the bt8 vacine before any other country as Defra got there order in first, (miracles can happen).
8, there should be no discrimination between large or small herds/flocks and non between commercial or hobby keepers.
9, apparently if the temerature is below 15c the virus is not active within the midge,
10, vacination is not likly to be effective in stock under 12 weeks old as its own immune system is likley to reject it,
11, the vacine is a dead vacine,
12, recommended that when vacinating you use a new needle for each animal,
this is what came out of the meeting so if you disagree with any of it don't shoot the messenger.
Bill.



Edited By redhill on 1204210342

[redhill]

Thanks Bill.....we sound a bit like Richard and Judy....something our Vet did say is that the vaccine would be on a first come first served basis so get your orders in without delay. Sue

[mindenho]

Many thanks Bill. Good to know that there will be no discrimination between commercial and hobby farmers. I will make contact with my vet early next week so he knows how many animals I will need to vaccinate come May or whenever the vaccine becomes available.
Erica

[Pennielea]

Northern Ireland Minister has finally banned the import of stock from BT infected areas. This is the result of an unusual series of events which has not yet made the national press but is likely to in the next week.

21 heifers were imported to Co Antrim from the Netherlands during January. They were post import tested by the ELISA test and the PCR test (only Duncan is likely to know the significance of these tests - I didn't even know there were two tests for BT). All animals were negative to both tests. So far so good.

However 8 heifers tested positive for anti-bodies. "A bit like someone having had chicken pox as a child who still has anti-bodies years later".

DARD (our Dept of Agriculture) took the (unusual?) precaution of re-testing these 8 animals 30 days later. One heifer showed up positive on PCR and vets found the presence of the BT virus. She was culled immediately and her new-born calf also culled as a precaution. Tests were then carried out on 4 other new-born calves and 3 also showed active infection with the BT virus. They were also culled followed by cull of the entire importation and their offspring.

This has raised questions on the transmission of BT and its persistence in the absence of midges.

EU veterinary officials are discussing this at present and an announcement by the SCOFCAH Committee is expected in the coming week.


Ian

[natmadaboutdexters]

I live in Northamptonshire and our cattle are down the road in Buckinghamshire which has just been put into a Protection zone. I have tried reading the Defra website advice re movement within the protection zone but can anyone translate any of it into english?

Guess what I want to know is : if we attend any shows within protection zone , do we need licences and pre-movement testing or is that just if we intend to move cattle outside the zone?

Personally, I would like to keep things simple and only attend shows within the protection zone that we are in so that I don't get it wrong at any time!

I think that the show season will be another let down on the attendance front with all the different restrictions etc. Lets hope that the vaccination plan works and we can get back to some sort of normality.

Natasha