UFU Welcome Vaccination Contingency Plan

UFU President Graham Furey said building up a vaccination stock could help protect the local livestock industry from a widespread Bluetongue outbreak.

Graham Furey said; “A Bluetongue disease outbreak this year could have a huge financial and practical impact on the local farming industry. In recent weeks the Ulster Farmers’ Union has called on DARD to stockpile vaccine and make plans for a compulsory vaccination programme in the event of a Bluetongue outbreak on local farms. This contingency planning is now underway, although it should be emphasised that Northern Ireland remains a Bluetongue free region”.

The UFU said the farming industry should continue to take all necessary precautions to keep Bluetongue out of Northern Ireland.

Graham Furey said; “This is definitely a case where prevention is better than cure. We would re-state our advice that live susceptible animals should not be brought into Northern Ireland either for breeding or slaughter. We should not rely on a vaccination policy; to our knowledge the disease is not in Northern Ireland at this time and everyone in the industry has a role to play in keeping Northern Ireland Bluetongue free”.

Further Reading

- You can visit our Bluetongue information page by clicking here.

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