Bluetongue fight heats up

Mar 19 2008 by Sam Wood, The Journal

WITH the looming threat of more bluetongue, cases, organisations from across the livestock sector have come together to launch a campaign to combat the disease.

The end of the vector-free period in Britain has signalled an important stage in the battle against the disease.

And now 12 livestock organisations have formed the Joint Campaign Against Bluetongue (JAB) in a bid to stop the spread.

The groups involved, which represent livestock farmers and markets, meat and dairy processing and the veterinary profession, all fully support the joint industry/Defra vaccination plan for bluetongue and are committed to working together on the campaign to achieve the mass vaccination of bluetongue-susceptible animals in England.

Among the groups involved in JAB are the National Farmers’ Union, National Sheep Association, National Beef Association, the Country Land and Business Association and the Tenant Farmers’ Association.

In a joint statement, a JAB spokesman said: “We recognise that a voluntary approach to vaccination has raised some eyebrows in some quarters but we are convinced that a voluntary, industry-compulsory, mass vaccination programme is the right approach.

“We believe that the EU’s bureaucratic rules for a compulsory vaccination programme requiring official supervision would have slowed down the process of vaccination, put individual farmers’ businesses at greater risk, and increased the likelihood that the virus would spread across the country before animals could be vaccinated.

“Although the programme will be run on a voluntary basis, JAB is now embarking on a major campaign to urge all farmers with susceptible livestock to vaccinate their animals as soon as vaccine is available.”

The campaign, which is supported by Defra and Animal Health, will utilise national and regional media outlets as well as more direct contact through farmers’ meetings, livestock markets and contact with private veterinary surgeons.

The comments from JAB come after an association of European vets claimed that Defra’s bluetongue strategy will not stop the spread of the disease.

The criticism came from the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE), which accused Defra of cost cutting and said the vaccination programme it has instituted would not be enough to stop the spread of the disease.

FVE president Walter Winding said: “The UK approach is probably driven by a strong desire to cut costs, and has little to do with animal health and welfare.

“Irrespective of the disease outbreaks the UK has faced over recent years, it continues to cut budgets and to reduce its animal health services, something that goes completely against the new EU Community Health Strategy, which focuses on prevention rather than cure.”

The federation’s main concern is the voluntary nature of the vaccination programme, which it claims will not allow for comprehensive monitoring.

But those claims were denied by the Government’s acting chief veterinary officer Fred Landeg.

He said the UK wanted to ensure a rapid coverage of vaccination, targeted at areas of greatest risk. The UK also wanted to keep down the cost of vaccination by reducing regulatory burdens.

He said: “We are in a strong position to act swiftly and reduce the risk of disease spread, not least because we were the first member state affected by the current outbreak to place an order for vaccine.”