Sheep sector can breathe a sigh of relief thanks to approval of bluetongue vaccine | Animals

To be well protected against bluetongue, sheep need one vaccination. Cattle need two. There must be a few weeks between these two vaccinations. It then takes a few more weeks before the animals are completely protected.

Two weeks after the first delivery, one million doses will again be available. More doses will probably follow after that. It is also expected that a vaccine will soon be available.

In total there are approximately one million sheep in the Netherlands. Outgoing Minister Piet Adema (Agriculture) thinks that within “a few weeks” sufficient shots will be available to fully vaccinate all sheep and cattle and thus prevent “major infections” in the summer.

The bluetongue vaccine was developed by the Spanish pharmaceutical company Syva. It was approved through an accelerated procedure. The shots are first delivered to wholesalers. Vets can buy them there and then make an appointment with a livestock farmer to administer the injections.

The approval of the vaccine will bring great relief to livestock farmers. Last autumn, the bluetongue virus caused many dead sheep. The virus is transmitted by midges (small mosquitoes). It causes animals to drool a lot and limp. Many animals with bluetongue die from the effects of the virus.

Midges are not active at lower temperatures, so there were no bluetongue infections in recent winter months. But as temperatures rose, concerns among livestock farmers increased. These concerns will probably be resolved in time.

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