SCOTLAND-VACCINE SHORTAGE FOR HILL FARMERS.
Sheep farmers know to their cost that their charges can be subject to a wider range of diseases than virtually any other species of livestock, especially during late spring and early summer.
Most can now be prevented by using vaccines or other treatments, including Louping-ill, a virus condition spread by ticks on hill and upland farms which has the potential to cause significant losses. More than 40 years ago the Edinburgh-based Mor
edun Research Institute developed a highly effective vaccine, which was subsequently manufactured by a several commercial companies.
However, it has now emerged that supplies of the vaccine are extremely short and many farmers will find it difficult to source the product until autumn: this may prove to be too late to prevent substantial losses in susceptible flocks, particularly with tick infestations increasing.
Nigel Miller, vice-president of NFU Scotland, who is also a qualified vet, said: "The increasing number of ticks found on our hills and uplands are presenting a growing disease threat to many species including sheep, red grouse and humans.
"For those hill farms affected by high numbers of infected ticks, the use of the vaccine is an important part of the health programme for their flocks. We hope that the manufacturers will look at making fresh supplies of the vaccine available at the earliest opportunity."
The manufacturers, Intervet-Shearing-Plough, issued a statement late yesterday: "We regret that the louping-ill vaccine will be unavailable to sheep producers this spring due to unforeseen circumstances. We have briefed the animal health trade on the situation and equipped them with the alternative disease management information they need to help their farming customers. In the absence of what is a unique vaccine the only means of controlling the disease in non-immune stock is through plunge dipping of sheep which will give around six weeks of control."
Professor Willie Donnachie of Moredun, said: "This could be very serious for some farmers in vulnerable areas. The disease can also affect humans giving them a heavy fever and problems with the nervous system."
The impact on red grouse populations also has the potential to decimate the best moors at a very considerable financial cost. Flocks were dispersed from many estates a decade ago, but tick infestations soon reduced the numbers of grouse shot. In recent years some estates have re-introduced flocks of wedders – adult male sheep – to act as "tick mops."
