Veterinarian Vincent Perney vaccinates sheep against bluetongue in the evenings

Ten stops, two provinces, and on to the next. From Sebaldeburen to Paterswolde and from Vries to Noordlaren. “It is very busy,” says veterinarian Vincent Perney of Drents-Friese Wold Veterinarians, who vaccinates as many sheep as possible against the bluetongue virus on his Monday evening off. “Our mission is to vaccinate as many sheep as possible as quickly as possible.”

And there are approximately one million in the whole of the Netherlands. In one evening Perney administers hundreds of vaccinations. It goes quickly, but the distance between the addresses also takes time. Ten addresses, hundreds of shots per evening. That’s the goal. “Next month the vast majority of sheep should be vaccinated, so it’s quite a job.”

According to Perney, the situation for veterinarians is somewhat comparable to that of general practitioners against the coronavirus. “It’s really hard work. Before the summer really starts, you want to have most of the sheep vaccinated. The fact that it froze for a while last week was nice for us vets and the sheep.”

This has to do with the spread of the bluetongue virus. It is transmitted via so-called midges. This is a type of fly that is mainly active at higher temperatures. “The midge population will then increase rapidly, increasing the chance of bluetongue spreading.” It ensures that Perney wants to help as many sheep farmers as possible in his spare evenings.

One of those sheep farmers is Annemarie Quarles from Groningen. She keeps sheep in the Oosterland near Paterswolde and was concerned about her animals until the arrival of the vaccine. “It is a great relief for me that my sheep have now been vaccinated. The bluetongue virus is terrible. You see that your sheep is suffering, but you can’t do anything. I never want that feeling of powerlessness again. That is why we have deliberately not taken any lambs. years, because we don’t want to take any risks.”

Perney also administers the vaccinations in an instant at sheep farmer Nicole Riezenbos in Sebaldeburen. “These are exciting times,” says Riezebos. “We had two seriously ill ewes last year. Fortunately they survived, but bluetongue is really terrible. It really hurts when you see your sheep in pain, so I’m very happy that Vincent was able to come quickly.”

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