Vaccine available in August
Last updated 08:47, Friday, 04 July 2008
Bluetongue vaccine will be available to farmers in the Scottish Borders as soon as next month.
The Scottish Government has announced the first delivery of 12 million doses on order will be ready by August. The doses will support a compulsory vaccination campaign in Scotland later in the year.
Merial won the £5 million contract to make the vaccine and the Scottish Government will pay half the manufacturing costs of the vaccine in the first year. The rest of the costs will be met by the industry.
The vaccine can only be used inside the protection zone and if the disease does not reach Scotland beforehand, the compulsory campaign will take place during the midge-free period in the winter.
Anyone illegally using the vaccine could be fined £5,000.
