Questions as Defra seeks tenders for bluetongue vaccine

Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for the Environment, has announced that the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is to issue a tender for a bluetongue vaccine bank.

No suitable vaccine is currently available for serotype 8, the strain of bluetongue circulating in England. However, several companies have vaccines in development and these are expected to be available for next summer.

The tender is for between 10 and 20 million doses and it is believed that there are three pharmaceutical manufacturing companies, Merial, Intervet and Fort Dodge, which may be in a position to respond to the tender.

advertisementAs the disease is not yet present in Wales and Scotland, it is understood that the number of doses being tendered for is based upon likely uptake within England, and that has led to fears that there may not be enough vaccine to protect Scottish livestock.