Mandatory vaccination campaign against bluetongue launched

The compulsory vaccination campaign against bluetongue, among all Belgian cattle and sheep farmers, was officially kicked off on Friday. The 45,000 farmers concerned have been informed and veterinarians have received official communication clarifying their role. By 1 June, all Belgian sheep and all cattle must be fully vaccinated.
Livestock farmers will for cattle receive 23.50 euros in aid per vaccinated animal, and 7 euros for sheep. Altogether, a budget of 40 million euros was allocated for the compensation.
In October, Belgium's outgoing minister of agriculture David Clarinval already ruled that all cattle and sheep farmers, including hobby farmers, must compulsorily vaccinate their animals born before 1 January against two types of bluetongue, serotypes 3 and 8. Cattle must also receive a shot against epizootic haemorrhagic disease.
“Everything is arranged so that farmers can look to the future with more peace of mind,” stated Clarinval. Apart from communication to farmers and vets, a website was also launched to centralise all practical information: www.btv-ehdv.be. Livestock farmers can also send their questions by e-mail to an information cell and sign up for webinars by Dierengezondheidszorg Vlaanderen.
The bluetongue virus caused heavy losses among Belgian cattle and sheep farmers last year. It involved serotype 3, which has spread from the Netherlands and is more aggressive than previous serotypes. Vaccination against that type was voluntary until now.
Since the beginning of last year, more than 463,000 doses of the serotype 3 vaccine have already been administered to cattle and sheep and more than 30,000 for the vaccine against serotype 8. The basic vaccination includes two shots. Belgium had 1.9 million cattle older than two months at the end of 2024.
Illustration © BELGA PHOTO Leitenberger S/ANDBZ/ABACAPRESS.COM
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