Bluetongue animal vaccination starts in most of EU

By Jeremy Smith

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU farmers have mostly started vaccinating animals against bluetongue, the virus that ravaged northern Europe's cattle and sheep in 2007, but success depends on vaccine supply and speed of applying it, officials say.

Bluetongue swept across around 11 EU countries last year and struck again recently in parts of Italy and France as warmer weather took hold in central and northern Europe.

Spread by midges, the virus had previously tended to occur in more southerly EU regions until 2006, when it moved further north. Bluetongue does not affect humans and there is no risk of contracting it by consuming milk or meat from affected animals.

Whether vaccination is compulsory or voluntary is decided per country but many have made vaccination of younger cattle and ovine animals compulsory. Vaccination plans have now begun in most countries where animals have been affected, officials say.

Some countries, like Belgium, Luxembourg and the Czech Republic, have made their entire national territories subject to compulsory vaccination for certain animal categories.

Last month, the EU's health chief warned national ministers that farmers would not have an easy time in the fight against bluetongue this year as the disease situation continued to evolve with new outbreaks in countries like France and Italy.

"The situation will be bad in the newly infected areas unless they manage to vaccinate before mid-June," one official at the European Commission said.

"In heavily infected areas, the situation will be better than last year as most of the adult population was infected last year and is better protected now," the official said, adding that newborn animals were still at risk if not vaccinated quickly.