FARMERS have been urged to remain vigilant and vaccinate their animals against bluetongue.

Brian Rice, technical manager for Merial Animal Health, one of the leading companies producing bluetongue vaccine for the UK market and Europe, said that even though there have been no recent cases, the need for vigilance remained paramount.

He said: “It makes sense to ensure that we preserve the current status, and protect the considerable investment of time and money which has gone in to achieving it.”

The Committee for Medical Products for Veterinary Use has recently recommended granting marketing authorisation for two new vaccines BTVPUR AlSap 1 and BTVPUR AlSap 1-8 from Merial, for use in cattle and sheep.

Mr Rice said: “To date, serotype 1 has not been found in the UK, although it is prevalent in other parts of Europe.

“The spread of bluetongue has been unpredictable, and these additional vaccines will give us a future ‘insurance policy’ for Europe.

“At the present time, the UK is in a protection zone for BTV serotype 8 alone, and, therefore, this is the only vaccination permitted.”