Bluetongue: 10-day vaccine delay saw 15% of ewes lost on English farm
An English farmer reports losing 15% of his ewes to the bluetongue virus after a delay in vaccination. He urges other farmers to act quickly on treatment and criticizes the slow dissemination of information regarding the virus's spread.
Why it matters
This serves as a critical warning for the agricultural sector regarding the rapid spread of livestock diseases and the necessity of timely preventative measures.
Delaying the administration of bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) vaccines by a matter of mere weeks could be the difference between staving off the disease or facing massive losses from mortality.
That is the advice English farmer Jerry Sanders-Carr has for Irish farmers after he wrangled with the disease in August.
The advice follows the confirmation of clinical bluetongue 3 symptoms, including abortion, in cattle across at least three counties over recent weeks .
Sanders-Carr lost 15% of his ewes to bluetongue after vaccinating at the end of July in the belief that the vaccines would have sufficient time to take effect before the disease landed at his gate.
The virus did not affect rams or lambs to the same extent it did ewes on his farm.
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