Sheep industry leaders call for SBV vaccine
The Government has been urged by sheep industry leaders and vets to fast track a vaccine to protect ewes against Schmallenberg Virus in order to avoid the disease spreading nationally to flocks all across the country.
The Sheep Veterinary Society (SVS) and the National Sheep Association (NSA) said they were aware a vaccine has been developed to protect against the virus; however, it will not be available for farmers to use until it has gone through an approval process with the VMD.
Since April, at least seven cases of the virus have been found in newborn lambs, which indicate it has survived the winter months in midges and is already circulating around England once again. The NSA and SVS say the vaccine is therefore ‘desperately needed’ ahead of the imminent tupping season and have offered ‘any help we can’ to enable the Veterinary Medicines Directorate to achieve this end.
In a joint statement they said: “With tupping time approaching, the most critical infective period being the first 30 days of pregnancy, and a three to six-week period between vaccination and immunity, it is important that this vaccine is made available as early as possible.”
Paul Roger, of the SVS, said: “SBV has been declared to be a ‘low impact disease’ but we are not convinced this is a true reflection of its impact across the whole continent, particularly around the boundaries of known infection spread such as the UK.
Phil Stocker, NSA chief executive, commented: “As we approach this season’s tupping there is a risk that the boundary of infection starts to spread and a vaccine to protect sheep will be a valuable tool for farmers, alongside the serum testing which has become available and the use of veterinary advice.”
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
