14.04.09 - Calf and Lamb Vaccination - SGRPID have recently issued guidance making it compulsory to vaccinate calves and lambs before 6 months of age. Detailed guidance on calves and lambs can be found by clicking the links.

18.11.08 - BTV8 Vaccination Declaration Form - an industry wide declaration form has been created, which can be downloaded by clicking here. It is intended that this declaration should accommpany animals at the time of sale in order to make the purchaser aware of the vaccination status of the animals.

10.10.08 SGRPID UPDATE - Scotland will go into a protection zone to allow compulsory vaccination to begin on 03.11.08. The bluetongue pages on the Scottish Government website have been updated and a new vaccination section added. This can be viewed at www.scotland.gov.uk/bluetongue . The Vaccination Campaign Plan and the vaccine order form are available in the new vaccination section. Alternatively, the vaccine order form can be downloaded and printed from here. Please see their press release below:

PRESS RELEASE

The window for compulsory bluetongue vaccination in Scotland will open on Monday November 3, 2008, the Scottish Government confirmed today.

On this date Scotland will be declared a Protection Zone and free movement of bluetongue-susceptible animals across Great Britain will be permitted. The date has been set following scientific analysis which established that risk of transmission by midges would be low at this point and that livestock need to be protected by the spring when midges will become active again. In the first year the Scottish Government is supporting half of the vaccine manufacturer costs, totalling £2.6m.

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Richard Lochhead said:

“I am pleased that we are now able to give farmers and crofters certainty on the date on which compulsory vaccination will be start. Scientific analysis has allowed us to specify November 3 as the date that mitigates the risk to the Scottish livestock industry. At the farming industry’s request we are introducing compulsory vaccination over a period of several months, allowing farmers to choose to vaccinate at a time that best suits them and their farm management needs. Until all livestock are vaccinated, there will remain a risk to the industry from importing potentially infected animals. It is vital farmers continue to avoid sourcing stock from high risk areas.”

22.09.08 SGRPID UPDATE - To view a map of current Bluetongue situation in France please click here. Opens a pdf document in a new window.

16.09.08 SGRPID UPDATE - News Release

LOCHHEAD CONFIRMS COMPULSORY BLUETONGUE VACCINATION PROGRAMME

A compulsory vaccination programme will be launched this winter to protect Scotland’s livestock industry against the spread of bluetongue virus, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment Richard Lochhead confirmed today. The programme will not begin before the start of November and will depend on the prevalence of midges which spread the disease among animals. It will see all cattle and sheep in Scotland, almost seven million animals, compulsory vaccinated against the disease.

Other susceptible species, such as goats, deer, camelids (camels, lamas, alpacas etc) and non-farm animals such as buffalo and giraffes in zoos, will be vaccinated on a voluntary basis.

The Scottish Government has agreed to pay half the manufacturing costs of the vaccine (approximately £2.5 million) in the first year – an unprecedented level of support within the UK. The remainder will be met by the industry.

Speaking after a meeting with the industry where stakeholders agreed to the compulsory winter vaccination programme, Richard Lochhead said the need to vaccinate this year had been reinforced by the increased risk to Scotland from recent incidences of bluetongue in England.

Mr Lochhead said:
“Scotland remains bluetongue free but there is a clear and present threat and we need to minimise the risk to Scotland. The vaccination programme I am confirming today is part of that. The prevalence of the disease in England has highlighted the need for a proactive vaccination campaign to safeguard Scotland’s livestock sector. The campaign will not begin before November. This will allow us to vaccinate in the midge free period and also provide individual farmers with the time needed to plan vaccination in a way which best suits their business needs. While we have agreed to vaccinate this winter, the industry cannot afford to let down its guard. Care must be taken in sourcing livestock and farmers should continue to avoid buying animals from high risk areas wherever possible.”

Charles Milne, Chief Veterinary Officer for Scotland, added: "Vaccinating in the winter months when the lack of midges dramatically reduces the risk of disease circulation allows animals to develop immunity without exposure to significant risk. This is the most effective way to protect our livestock sector against this virus. It will take several weeks for every animal in Scotland to be vaccinated against this virus. Additionally, vaccination against bluetongue virus 8 (see notes) only provides immunity for the most prevalent form bluetongue virus currently within the UK. Livestock keepers therefore cannot afford to become complacent and risk importing further serotypes of this disease.”

31.08.08 DEFRA UPDATE - BT Virus found in imported cattle in Devon AND PZ moves to cover Northumberland and Cumbria on 1st September.

Defra today announced the detection of Bluetongue (BTV8) in eight imported cattle, on premises near Tiverton, Devon. The animals originated from the same consignment imported from within the BTV8 Restricted Zone in Germany. The cases in Devon were detected as a result of post-import testing carried out by Defra on all Bluetongue susceptible animals arriving from Continental Europe, in addition to checks at the country of origin. These cases emphasise the need for farmers to be aware of the risks of importing animals from within Restricted Zones and to consider very carefully the potential consequences for their existing livestock and the livestock of their neighbours. This also highlights the importance of vaccination. It is the only effective tool to protect susceptible animals from Bluetongue. Farmers throughout the Protection Zone should vaccinate as soon as vaccine is available to them.

On 20 August, Defra announced that Northumberland and Cumbria would both enter the Protection Zone at the same time but ‘not before’ 1 September. This has given livestock keepers and sales organisers a degree of certainty to help them plan movement of their animals to slaughter or to sales in England and Scotland, to mitigate the impact on trade. Defra can now confirm that the Protection Zone will be extended on Monday 1 September into Northumberland and Cumbria. This will complete the roll-out of the vaccination programme by bringing the whole of England into the Protection Zone, enabling farmers to protect their animals from the threat of Bluetongue.

A mass vaccination campaign against Bluetongue began in late April this year, and approximately 21.5 million doses have so far been made available to farmers as far north as Durham and Lancashire to protect their stock.

Protection Zones for BTV8 across the EU are regarded as being “confluent”. This means that it is legally possible to move susceptible animals from the BTV8 Protection Zone in Germany to the Protection Zone in England and Wales and vice versa. It is therefore not unexpected to find infected animals in the Protection Zone.

There is no evidence to suggest that virus is circulating between local midge and animal populations in the local areas. Full epidemiological investigations are underway. In respect of the decision to extend the Protection Zone on 1 September into Northumberland and Cumbria, livestock keepers in the areas coming into the Protection Zone will be able to obtain the vaccine from the time they become part of the Zone; however, they are encouraged to order vaccine in advance through their vet. The vaccine will be available in 20ml, 50ml and 100ml bottles, although some bottle sizes may be more readily available than others as supply proportions vary over time.

Protection Zone restrictions will apply to those keepers coming into the extended zone. Animals can only be moved out of the Protection Zone if they are vaccinated, naturally immune or moving for slaughter, subject to meeting certain conditions. Please refer to the Defra website for further guidance.

All livestock farmers are strongly encouraged to be vigilant and to vaccinate at the earliest possible opportunity.

20.08.08 DEFRA UPDATE - Protection Zone to be extended to cover Northumberland and Cumbria from 1st September - Scottish Governement Comment:

FARMERS URGED TO TAKE CARE WHEN SOURCING NEW STOCK

As the livestock sales season approaches farmers are being reminded to remain vigilant when sourcing new animals. The English Bluetongue Protection Zone is expanding towards the border to allow for vaccination across England. Scottish farmers are urged to ensure they are fully aware of the status of any animals bought at English and Welsh sales. The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Richard Lochhead also called on farmers to make sure they know the rules about moving livestock vaccinated against the disease into Scotland.

Mr Lochhead said: “The Government and industry have worked closely together to ensure that Scotland remains bluetongue-free for as long as possible. We have pulled together to keep bluetongue out of Scotland with the aim of vaccinating during the winter vector-free period if the disease situation requires. It is the unanimous view of Scottish stakeholders that this course of action presents the best solution for our industry. It is vital that everyone remains vigilant against signs of the disease and knows the rules about moving stock.”

Only animals vaccinated by a vet and accompanied by a veterinary certificate of vaccination can move to Scotland from a bluetongue Protection Zone. Any movement of an animal that has been within the bluetongue restricted area in the previous 60 days must also be notified to the Scottish Government. Any breach of regulations is subject to penalities of up to £5,000 and six months in prison.

1. Before departing for sales in England and Wales, farmers should check with either the sales organisers or Defra if the premises is in, or about to be in, the Bluetongue Protection Zone. Bluetongue movement restrictions would likely prevent, or significantly delay, any animals bought or unsold from returning home.

2. Farmers should avoid sourcing animals from high risk areas wherever possible. The following advice is being offered to farmers:

Selling

• Before moving any animals, confirm whether or not the market is in the protection zone.
• Animals from Scotland can enter a protection zone freely
• If un-sold, to return from a protection zone and into Scotland they need to be vaccinated by a vet and have full immunity before returning to Scotland. Animals will only be able to leave the protection zone after 35 days from full vaccination with a PCR test (approx. cost £30 per head). Alternatively, the animals cannot be moved until 60 days after the completion of full vaccination. The animals must also meet the movement conditions below.

Buying

• Before buying/moving any animals, confirm whether or not the market is in the protection zone.
• Only buy animals from a protection zone if they have a veterinary certificate confirming vaccination was carried out by a vet (not a veterinary prescription) in time for you to move them to Scotland. Animals can leave the protection zone after 35 days from full vaccination with a PCR test (approx. cost £30 per head). Untested animals cannot be moved for 60 days following completion of full vaccination.
• A Post-Movement Notification Document (PMND) and a copy of the veterinary certificate of vaccination must be sent to the Scottish Government within three days of the animals arriving in Scotland for all animals that have been in an area under bluetongue restrictions in the previous 60 days.

17.07.08 DEFRA UPDATE Disease situation:

• No evidence yet of any BTV virus circulating in the UK. Number of confirmed cases therefore remains at 136, of which 66 were confirmed cases in 2007 and the rest were detected by pre-movement testing during the vector-free period in 2008.
  
• Defra are not carrying out any active surveillance, merely investigating any report cases, none of which have been confirmed as positives. However, all BTV-susceptible imports are being screened on arrival for all BTV serotypes.
  
• If BTV virus is still out there, and it would be sensible to assume it is, then we can expect clinical cases to start occurring very soon. It is therefore essential that even though we are in the middle of a very successful vaccination campaign, everyone continues to be extremely vigilant and reports any suspect cases.
  
• BTV.1 virus is on the move in France and if (when?) it arrives in the UK, it will cause clinical disease, even in vaccinated animals, as there is no cross-immunity between BTV.1 and BTV.8.
  Testing of reported suspects and imports involves testing for both antibody and virus. The PCR test for virus will give a positive no matter what BTV serotype is involved, with follow-up testing identifying the actual serotype.
  
• Now the PCR test is being carried out at VLA Weybridge instead of Pirbright, the cost has doubled from £15 to £30! This was defended as now reflecting the true commercial cost.
  There are no confirmed reports yet of new disease outbreaks in other EU Member States although there have been unconfirmed reports of over 130 new cases last week of BTV.8 in the Burgundy region of France.
  
• Evidence re trans-placental transmission is strengthening and this may turn out to be the major overwintering mechanism.

Vaccination

• Intervet have delivered 15 million doses to date.
  
• It is expected to be announced today that another 2 million doses will be available for use next week, which will cause further movement of the Protection Zone boundaries.
  
• It has just been announced by Defra that as of 21 July 2008 at 00.01hrs the Protection Zone will be extended to cover Worcestershire and the districts in North Yorkshire (Scarborough, Ryedale, Hambleton & Harrogate), Cheshire (Macclesfield, Congleton & Crewe and Nantwich) and Greater Manchester (Rochdale, Oldham, Tameside and Stockport) previously in the Surveillance Zone. Please link to defra for more information
  
• To date, the area of the PZ is approximately two thirds of the land area of England but only covers approximately half of the susceptible animals. The inference therefore is that future movements of the PZ boundary will be slower than before.
  
• Take-up of vaccine in the areas covered by the original PZ's, ie those areas where disease was confirmed in 2007, has been estimated at over 90% and virtually all the premises where disease was actually confirmed have now been vaccinated. The first deliveries of vaccine from Merial (8 million for England, 5 million for Wales) are expected in early- to mid-August with completion of delivery by "early Autumn". It will all be in 100 ml bottles compared to Intervet's 50 ml and 20 ml bottles.
  
• For cattle, the two injections with Merial vaccine must be 4 weeks apart, not 3 weeks as for Intervet's vaccine. It is very important that both injections are with the same product, ie do not use Intervet for the first jab and Merial for the second, or vice versa. Subsequent single booster injections can be with either product, notwithstanding which product was used for primary vaccination.
  
• As goats and camelids tend to respond less well to vaccines than other species, it is being recommended that they be given a booster vaccination at 6 months, not 12 months.
  There are no data yet on the levels of maternally-derived antibody in calves acquired from colostrum, nor on its persistence in calves, and therefore calves born this Autumn should be vaccinated when old enough. It would make sense that they, plus older cattle and sheep that receive their primary vaccination this Autumn, should be given their booster in the Spring of 2009 in order to boost immunity levels before the peak vector activity period begins.
  
• It is thought that the 28 million doses ordered for England should be sufficient; in fact it was stated quite confidently that there will be 1 million spare doses. However, they cannot be sure because although figures for cattle numbers are very accurate, the same is not true for sheep, goats and camelids. No decisions have yet been made about ordering vaccine supplies for 2009 but Defra indicated that they might act as brokers, ie give a steer to the vaccine manufacturers on numbers and timing of doses likely to be needed.
  
• Adverse reactions have been very low indeed, contrary to anecdotal reports in the Press. Intervet reported that the level of reports has been only about 10% of what they would have expected and stressed that people must not make comparisons with reports from other countries, some of which are using a live vaccine. There have been reports of abortions occurring at 1 case per million doses of vaccine used, but half of these have been proven to be caused by identified infectious agents. There have been some reports of transient lameness, anaphylactic reactions and swellings at injection sites. Intervet stress that any suspect adverse reaction should be reported immediately to one's vet who should then report it direct to Intervet, rather than the usual report route of VMD. This is to speed up the investigation process.

Movement controls:

• Defra have now produced a decision tree for movements out of restricted zones other than to slaughter - Link to decision tree
  
• The concept of protection from vector attack still exists as a concept but Defra confirmed that it is very difficult to achieve in practice. This will have no impact on domestic movements once all GB has been declared a PZ but it could have an impact on exports, particularly of goats and camelids. This is due to the fact that the vaccine is unlicensed for use in those species and therefore they cannot be certified for export purposes as having been vaccinated. ( Watch this space for updates on this thorny issue!)
• Scotland are planning to declare a PZ once they have identified a vector-free period some time later this Autumn when they will begin a compulsory vaccination programme. However, Defra have not yet decided whether or not to declare a vector-free period in England. There may be insufficient benefits to justify the cost of the necessary midge surveillance work.

06.06.08 SGRPID have issued amendements to regulation surrounding the movement of livestock originating from within a Bluetongue Zone, including animals that move into Scotland via a free area. This move is in response to the vaccination programme of stock currently underway within the protection areas in England. The Scottish Stakeholders will meet again soon to finalise plans for vaccination in Scotland which is still planned for later in 2008. Keepers who receive livestock that have been vaccinated are required to notify these movements within three days of arrival using the updated form, which can be downloaded from the link below.

News Release Updated Post Movement Declaration Document

09.04.08 SGRPID Announcement: Scottish industry stakeholders have identified the threat of bluetongue as their highest animal health and welfare priority. In the absence of a commercial market for bluetongue vaccine, they have asked the Scottish Government to immediately secure vaccine on behalf of Scottish producers.

The Scottish industry/ Government stakeholder group, chaired by the Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead, which met on the 9th of April to discuss the control of bluetongue in Scotland, were of the view that the main aim continues to be to keep Scotland free of bluetongue. With this in mind the group agreed that:

• Based on veterinary advice, there is a low but increasing risk of the introduction of bluetongue to Scotland;
  
• There is an urgent need to secure vaccine to control the spread of bluetongue, should it arise in Scotland;
  
• The Scottish Government would provide 50% of the costs of the purchase of vaccine, up to a maximum of £3m, for the first year only of a vaccination programme. This is subject to European Commission State Aid approval. It is a significant and unprecedented additional contribution towards promoting animal health and welfare in Scotland.
  
• Industry will meet the remaining costs of the vaccine and the total cost of vaccine administration in this and future years.
  
• The Scottish vaccination programme will be compulsory, with vaccine administered by farmers (except where veterinary administration is required e.g. for animal export purposes), and implemented during the 2008/09 winter vector free period, subject to disease developments in the intervening period.
  
• The Scottish Government already provides significant policy, veterinary and research support to protect Scotland from the threat of bluetongue. In future years, the Scottish Government will meet the additional costs associated with enforcement and monitoring of a vaccination programme.
  
• Industry and Scottish Government will work together to investigate the potential use of CAP or Rural Development funds to meet future animal health and welfare costs in Scotland.

Scotland has a strong history of partnership working between Government and stakeholders to promote animal health and welfare standards in support of a sustainable livestock industry. Stakeholders acknowledge the value of working with Scottish Government to consider how challenges can be met. The Scottish Government and the livestock industry continue to support the development of a National Agenda for Animal Health and Welfare in Scotland. This will build on work to date in partnership to identify the best prioritisation of resources and address the challenges presented by the current tight spending review settlement and the responsibility and cost sharing agendas in the UK and EU.

The Scottish Government funding of bluetongue vaccine in 2008/9, subject to a ceiling of £3m, is intended to demonstrate its commitment to working with stakeholders in the development of a National Agenda for Animal Health and Welfare. It is also recognition of the industry’s crucial role in Scotland. Visit the Scottish Government's Bluetongue information website.

26.02.08 Discussions over recent months have resulted in the consistent and unanimous view of stakeholders that it has not so far been appropriate to order vaccines for use in Scotland. This view has been reached, and maintained, through consideration of the disease situation, the shelf life of the vaccine, our inability to legally vaccinate in free areas and a wish to keep Scotland as a free area for as long as possible. As agreed, we have been continually reviewing the disease situation and the availability of vaccines. The recent finding of bluetongue positive imports in Northern Ireland and Wales and the statements by Intervet at the UK vaccination meeting that an order could take 6-8 months to fill and that shelf life is likely to be extended to 24-30 months are new issues that merit consideration in the context of developing vaccination plans for Scotland.

The agreed view within Scotland remains that a limited vaccine supply is best utilised to help contain the disease where it currently is. Initial batches of vaccine are expected to become available in from May. As per the UK vaccination plan, these will initially be deployed within the existing Protection Zone. However, veterinary advice is that we should consider vaccinating in Scotland next winter during the vector free period. This would allow plenty of time for full immunity to develop in livestock (this takes three weeks in sheep, six weeks in cattle) before midges become active again in Scotland in spring 2009. Summer 2009 is when we expect the risk of bluetongue reaching Scotland to peak.

The UK entered a vector free period on 20 December 2007 - the vector (midge) is generally inactive and virus replication halts during colder temperatures, presenting a lower risk of disease transfer. During this period, livestock moves out of Restricted Zones have been allowed subject to negative results from pre-movement testing for bluetongue and compliance with certain conditions.

The current Vector Free Period will end at midnight on Saturday 15 March 2008. After this time movement restrictions will return to the strict regime that was in place before the Vector Free Period was declared and animals will generally not be able to leave the Restricted Zone. Scottish livestock farmers who wish to source stock from the Restricted Zone should be aware that suppliers in the Restricted Zone must carry out pre-movement testing of their animals, receive negative results, and move the animals before 23:59 on 15 March.

11.02.08 SGRPID have decided not to implement post-movement testing for UK moves at this point in time. However, industry compliance with EU conditions and pre-movement testing will be monitored through the notification and checking procedures recently put in place in Scotland, and if there is evidence that compliance with the necessary procedures is not sufficient, he will re-consider this position urgently. Producer Letter and Receiving Notification Form

28.12.07 Bluetongue virus has been detected in a single imported cow on a farm near Kirkcudbright in Scotland. The affected animal was imported from Germany and was tested as part of the routine post import testing that is carried out on all bluetongue susceptible animals entering the UK.

20.12.07 - Defra have declared that a Vector Free Period (VFP) has been established. This will mean that from 3rd January animals that have tested negative for Bluetongue Virus can be moved out of zones which previously restricted movement. Please visit the Defra website for further details.

10.12.07 SERPID have issued an information note to explain the conditions and regulations for exporting susceptible animals from Bluetongue free areas to other member states. To read the information note please click here.

17.10.07 - DEFRA have confirmed today a case of bluetongue near Peterborough. Although it is inside the existing Bluetongue Protection Zone (BPZ), it is some distance away from the previous cases and has the effect of extending that zone. There are now three Bluetongue Control Zones (BCZ); one in East Anglia, one in Kent, and the new one around Peterborough. The most up to date map can be viewed by clicking here.

28.09.07 - Defra have confirmed bluetongue virus (serotype 8) is circulating in East Anglia in England. This is the strain which has been identified in Northern Europe over the past two years. For further information please refer to the Defra website: http://www.defra.gov.uk/

The UK bluetongue control strategy has been activated and appropriate controls are being put in place. Surveillance operations have been ongoing since disease was first identified on 22 September and continue.

While there are no direct implications for Scotland we are monitoring the situation closely.

26.09.07 - GB was alerted at the weekend that the first finding of bluetongue in Great Britain had been identified in Suffolk. At this point the circulation of bluetongue has yet to be confirmed, but Defra announced this afternoon that a fourth animal (on 3 premises near Ipswich) has been found with bluetongue virus. A full veterinary inquiry is continuing to establish if disease is circulating. As a precautionary measure all 4 cows have been slaughtered.

In response to this situation Defra have created a Bluetongue Temporary Control Area. The movement of animals out of this area is prohibited except direct to slaughter. More information can be found at the Defra website http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/latest/2007/animal-0925.htm

No bluetongue movement restrictions are in place in Scotland. We continue to stress the importance of vigilance for signs of disease and early reporting. We would ask you to spread this message amongst your members. To aid this a leaflet has been prepared for all livestock keepers in Scotland, along with guidance on vector control.

Bluetongue Guidance Leaflet

Bluetongue Vector Control