9 January 2008
We received a petition asking:
"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to guarantee and underwrite the initial manufacturer’s costs for immediate manufacture of BTV-8 vaccine to protect susceptible livestock from Bluetongue and allow the vaccine to be available for use by UK farmers without delay."
Details of Petition:
"Bluetongue vaccine could be made available if the Government ordered its manufacture and underwrote initial costs. The vaccine is desperately needed by UK farmers to protect their livestock from the disease now and in the future."
Read the Government’s response
On 1 November, Defra issued a tender to supply between 10 and 20 million doses of Bluetongue vaccine for a vaccine bank. This tender closed on 15 November and a vaccination order has been placed with the pharmaceutical company Intervet to supply 22.5 million doses of Bluetongue vaccine. This order will ensure that vaccine will be available in early summer to control the impact of Bluetongue and ease movement restrictions on vaccinated animals. This follows a full assessment of the three bids submitted during the tender process announced by Defra on 1 November.
In keeping with the principles set out in the Bluetongue Control Strategy, which was developed in partnership with the farming industry, livestock keepers will be offered the opportunity to purchase vaccine from the bank.
No suitable vaccines are currently available for Bluetongue serotype 8, the strain of Bluetongue in circulation in northern Europe and parts of England. However, we are aware of several companies that have a vaccine in development, and we expect that this would be available from next summer.
In keeping with the principles set out in the Bluetongue Control Strategy, which was developed in partnership with the farming industry, livestock keepers will be offered the opportunity to purchase vaccine from the bank. The Government expect that the benefits of vaccination will be of clear economic value to many farmers.
The Government are also developing a detailed plan with Bluetongue scientific experts, representatives of the farming industry and others as to how a vaccination programme would work. The Government are also discussing possible approaches to vaccination with the European Commission and other Member States affected by Bluetongue.