May 30, 2013

Schmallenberg vaccine by MSD available to UK farmers this summer

This summer, a vaccine to protect sheep and cattle from the Schmallenberg virus (SBV) will be available to British farmers, who will be the first in the EU to have access to the vaccine.

The vaccine has been produced by veterinary pharmaceutical company Merck MSD Animal Health and should be used before sheep and cattle pregnant, as exposure to the virus during pregnancy can lead to severe birth defects in the unborn animal.

Latest figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) show that 1,753 farms throughout Great Britain have tested positive for SBV.

Deputy chief veterinary offer at Defra, Alick Simmons, said, "It is welcome news for British farmers to have the choice to vaccinate their animals.

"The vaccine will give extra assurance against this disease on top of the natural immunity we expect sheep and cattle to develop after initial exposure."

Ben Stanley, a sheep farmer from Derbyshire who lost over 60% of his lambs this year said, "The vaccine is expensive but when you are talking losing half your flock [to the virus], it is a small price to pay."

The virus, which was first detected in Germany and the Netherlands in 2011, causes severe birth defects and miscarriages in new born sheep and cattle and can lead to fever, diarrhoea and loss of milk production in adult cattle.