I’m fed up with talking about the weather, but I can console myself with the fact we have grabbed every opportunity so far and progress is not too bad.Bluetongue vaccination to be voluntary in Scotland in 2010
VACCINATION against bluetongue will be voluntary in Scotland next year, Scottish Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead has confirmed.
He said the decision, agreed with the farming industry, follows the success of the compulsory vaccination campaign this year.
Compliance with the 2009 compulsory vaccination campaign, which was funded in part by Scottish Government, was estimated at around 94 per cent.
Making the announcement during a visit to a farm on Thursday, Mr Lochhead stressed that vaccination was ‘still encouraged’, especially for breeding animals which may be exposed to infection in future years.
“Farmers should take the advice of their own vet when deciding whether and when to vaccinate,” he said.
A disease-free herd is vital to maintaining Scotland’s international reputation for quality, which in turn boosts exports and profitability. Thanks to the joint efforts of the Scottish Government and the industry we are in a much more favourable position now than we were last year in relation to bluetongue.
“There was a high level of compliance with the compulsory campaign and this was complemented by the responsible actions of farmers when sourcing animals from abroad.”
Scotland’s Chief Vet Simon Hall urged farmers to continue to be responsible about where they sourced their livestock.
“For my part I will continue to keep the bluetongue situation under regular review at home and abroad. I will provide further information to farmers and their vets if the level of risk changes,” he said.
NFU Scotland Vice-President, Nigel Miller said the industry was now seeing the dividend from the ‘positive response’ of Scottish livestock farmers to the vaccination programme and the voluntary ban on importing animals from high risk areas..
“Careful sourcing of any livestock brought on to a farm is good farming practice. Now that we are moving to a voluntary approach on bluetongue vaccination, livestock farmers will have greater responsibility for managing the risk posed by the disease,” he said.
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