Belgium introduces a mandatory vaccine against bluetongue and EHD

In Belgium, vaccination against blue tongue serotype 3 and epizootic haemorrhagic disease (EHD) will be compulsory as of 1 January 2025, and farmers will have to pay for the vaccinations themselves, writes Dairyglobal.net.

Farmers who raise cattle and sheep are required to vaccinate their livestock, and the Belgian government does not provide free vaccines as in, say, France, so farmers have to pay the full cost themselves.

Vaccine against bovine diseases

Since May this year, Belgian cattle farmers have been allowed to vaccinate their animals against bluetongue, a disease that is spreading rapidly in Belgium. For the time being, this vaccination is voluntary. After several months of epidemic, we have to conclude that voluntary vaccination has not contained the impact of the disease," says the Federal Department of Agriculture in Brussels.

The country is also currently threatened by Blue Tongue serotype 8 and EHD, a livestock disease. These diseases have recently been spreading rapidly in neighbouring France, where at the end of October more than 6 000 cases of both diseases had been reported.

Now animals in Belgium can be vaccinated against all strains of bluetongue and EHD, the department said. The vaccines will be distributed routinely and will be used according to the protocol of the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products FAGG. According to Dairyglobal.net, the authorities „understand that there is a lack of information about these vaccines“. Therefore, efforts will be made to provide more information to veterinarians and cattle producers about the vaccines, which were urgently approved due to the rapid spread of these diseases.

Animal protection and economic future

Agriculture Minister David Clarinval said: „Vaccination is our first line of defence against epidemics. It is not only an essential protection for our livestock, but also a guarantee for the economic future of the entire agricultural sector. Through rigorous prevention combined with measures for livestock producers, we ensure the resilience of our farms and the health and safety of our country.

The Minister added that he had met with representatives of the Farmers' Union to respond to their request for action. Following the meeting, the Minister committed to introduce compulsory vaccination against these diseases in 2025. Only large-scale vaccination against these vector-borne diseases provides sufficient protection on a national scale, stopping the circulation of the virus," the federal department concludes.