THE honorary director of the Great Yorkshire Show has used his car to drive home the message for farmers to vaccinate against bluetongue disease.

Bill Cowling's 123 JAB registration plate bears the same initials as the industry-wide Joint campaign Against Bluetongue (JAB), whose slogan is Don't Hesitate, Vaccinate.

At a Bluetongue briefing in Harrogate, Mr Cowling said 16,000 postcards were being issued emphasising the need for 100 per cent vaccination.

He said: "Every chance to drive that message home is valuable, so I hope to be clocking up a fair few miles in my car."

Information will be sent to 13,000 farmers between Sheffield and the Scottish Borders.

A further 3,000 will be available at auction marts, feed merchants, country stores and similar outlets.

The campaign is co-ordinated by the National Farmers' Union (NFU), with funds from development agencies Yorkshire Forward and One NorthEast.

NFU regional director Richard Ellison said: "This campaign needs every producer to participate, whether they have two animals or 2,000."

Yorkshire and the North-East By Mike Bridgen Rural Affairs Editor mike.bridgen@nne.co.uk has nearly five million cattle, sheep, goats and other animals such as farmed deer and llamas that need protecting against bluetongue. The livestock sector is worth more than £200m to the region, and vaccination is the only protection from the disease, carried by midges.

NFU policy advisor Louise White said that in Belgium, the disease caused the deaths of 40 per cent of sheep and 20 per cent of cattle.

Only animals in the designated protection zone can be vaccinated which, from Monday, will include farms in South and West Yorkshire, the East Riding and Selby district.

Most of North Yorkshire is still a surveillance zone, and Richmondshire and Craven are in the bluetongue-free area.

However, as vaccines become available, the protection zone will be extended, and the NFU hopes North Yorkshire will be followed in a few weeks by Durham and Northumberland.

Mr Ellison said: "We realise this represents additional expense and inconvenience for farmers, but this is our one chance to stop this disease in its tracks."