AS BLUETONGUE disease continues to spread in Britain and Italy imposes an import ban on non-vaccinated animals from France, the EU has announced an emergency vaccination plan worth €64 million.
It said at the weekend it had decided to adopt a draft decision approving the emergency vaccination plans of certain member states against bluetongue and the first instalment of the EU financial contribution for these plans of up to €64 million.
"The extent of the EU's financial contribution to these programmes reflects the importance the commission attaches to plans for containing this disease."
It added that vaccination was the most efficient veterinary measure which could be used to fight bluetongue and to achieve the objectives of reducing the loss of animals, containing the spread of the disease, protecting bluetongue-free territories in member states and facilitating the safe trade in live animals.
The commission said that it would support emergency vaccination plans against the disease in member states at the rate of 100 per cent of the vaccine's supply cost and 50 per cent of the cost of vaccinating the animals.
However, it put an upper limit of six cent for each vaccine dose purchased, €2 for cattle vaccinated and 75 cent per vaccinated sheep or goat.
The island of Ireland has a disease-free status even though bluetongue was discovered some weeks ago in an imported animal on a Co Antrim farm.
As the trade in young calves to Europe is beginning to increase there are increasing problems in moving animals there because of the outbreaks in Britain and France.
Two days ago the British government extended its bluetongue restriction zones following the discovery of two new cases of the disease there.
With 110 cases of the disease - which is spread by midges - in Britain, much of the south-east of England is a restricted zone for the movement of local animals, but there are fears that some countries will not accept animals passing through infected areas.