Defra 'Puts UK Last' For Bluetongue Vaccine
UK - Angry farmers are warning that Britain will be at the back of the queue for a new vaccine that protects livestock from the deadly bluetongue virus.
29 October 2007
1 minute read
The French and German governments have placed advance orders for vaccines being developed against the BVT8 strain of the disease, which swept Europe this summer and is expected to spread across much of Britain.
But the Department for Environment, Food and Rural affairs says that it is not placing an order because no vaccine is yet fully ready.
The drug companies Merial UK and Intervet say they should be able to start producing a vaccine next spring but that demand will be high, with 150 million cattle and sheep across Europe likely to need it.
