Went to an excellent presentation by Jules Dare from Northpoint vets in Essex. He has been heavily involved in last years outbreak and is considered to be this countries expert on BT. Ther is still a lot to learn but it would seem if we can get an 80% uptake of vaccination then we should be able to crack it in 3 year, [there will be about 20% wildlife which will not be able to be vaccinated]
The 110 farms that have been infected thus far will be vaccinated first and then the most vulnerable in the control zone, [eg me!], then in swathes across the country as vaccine becomes available until the whole country is done. [Scotland is just waking up to the fact that Hadrians Wall is no barrier to midges and are considering vaccination].
The first vaccine will be available mid May. Cattle should be immune about 6 weeks later.
If you want to show or move animals out of zone then vaccination will need to be certified by your vet otherwise you may do it yourself.
The vaccine needs to be refrigerated and once opened must be used within 8 hours. The first doses to arrive will be in 50 ml. bottles, the 20 ml bottles will arrive later, and the dose will be 1 ml for both cattle and sheep. Will be licenced for animals over 4 weeks of age. It is hoped that immunity may be passed from dam to calf/lamb either across the placenta or in the colostrum but not certain yet.
It is also thought that there may be a degree of species specific susceptibility to BT but there is not enough data to proove this yet. It would seem that white cows are more vulnerable to midge bites than darker colours so lets hope our tough little Dexters are not quite so vulnerable!
The Westpoint veterinary group are organising vaccination teams to go and do small herds/flocks at a very low cost. This will cut down wastage of vaccine so if you are in the southeast and you contact them they will arrange this ethically with your own vet. Look up Westpoint vets on the internet - they cover a wide area into South Suffolk, Herts and Essex as well as a large area of the south coast.
The only pour on for cattle that there is any data for is Butox swish and it is recommended that it is used at turnout.
There are also some excellent videos on the farmers Guardian website.
We mustn't panic about BT but we all need to address it and not bury our heads in the sand.
Good luck all,
Di in the danger zone!
P.S. I won't be able to go to the Royal Show this year as my cattle will not have immunity by then, they will just miss it. It would seem the Royal will be depleted in entries this year as the catchment area is quite small and DEFRA is not making any moves to extend zones.