Veterinary Ireland estimates that the level of vaccination for the bluetongue virus is far higher than the figure of 3,000 herds which was quoted last week by the Department of Agriculture.
Chair of Veterinary Ireland’s food and animal committee Donal Lynch said that vets were seeing a strong take-up of the vaccine on the ground.
Explaining the low figure quoted by the Department, he pointed out that there could be a sizeable lead time between animals being vaccinated and that vaccination being registered with the Department.
“The penetration of the vaccine is quite significant and a fuller picture of the number of herds vaccinated will emerge over the next month or so,” Lynch said.
“We would estimate that the number of herds vaccinated for bluetongue is far higher [than 3,000], but they will need to work through the system,” he added.
Difficulties
Given that there are close to 80,000 herds with breeding animals, the 3,000-herd figure, if correct, would indicate that just 4% of herds were vaccinated.
Vets have urged their farmer clients to vaccinate for bluetongue given the disease difficulties that could arise where a herd or flock is infected, Lynch said.
“If bluetongue comes, we would expect that the impact would be very significant,” Lynch maintained.
Admitting that there were concerns among vets regarding the number of herds that have not been vaccinated for bluetongue, Lynch likened the vaccine to an insurance policy.
“If bluetongue spreads rapidly through Ireland, as it has done in other countries, it is potentially a massive loss for those farmers whose herds or flocks are infected,” he warned.
“From the information we have, the risk of getting bluetongue is moderate, but the consequences are very serious,” Lynch said.
Although animal losses in Britain as a result of bluetongue were relatively low, serious fertility problems arose. These problems included high repeat rates among cows and ewes, along with high abortion rates and non-viable foetuses.