Intervet International bv, part of Schering-Plough Corporation, has developed a vaccine against Bluetongue serotype 8, for sheep and cattle. The vaccine has been taken into production now. Intervet is aiming to deliver the first quantities of vaccine in May.

Paul van Aarle, Director Institutional Sales of Intervet said: “We are currently optimizing the production process and we expect to have more insight in the overall production capacities by March.”

The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), already placed an order with Intervet to supply 22.5 million doses of Bluetongue vaccine. Intervet’s Bluetongue vaccine recently gained a temporary license in France. Based on this license, other member states of the European Union can allow usage of the vaccine to control the disease.

Intervet has been actively working on a vaccine against this virus since its emergence in Northern Europe in 2006 to meet the urgent need as quickly as possible.

The vaccine has been developed for sheep and for cattle. While sheep need to be vaccinated only once, cattle will need two vaccinations. The Bluetongue control strategy and vaccine purchase and supply are defined by the national authorities.

A two-day practical training course for equine vets on reproduction and stud management is to be held on 19-20 February at Twemlows Hall Stud, in Shropshire, UK, organised by Dr Jonathan Pycock and sponsored by equipment supplier EV Veterinary Products.

The practical element includes ultrasound scanning of mares, endoscopy and ultrasonography, as well as collection of semen, its evaluation, freezing and thawing. Guest speakers include Ian Cameron from Rossdale and Partners and Dr Jessica Kidd of Ridgeway Equine Hospital.

For more information on this training course, as well as a 2-day equine ET course for vets, and equine breeding courses for nurses, contact EV Veterinary Products on 01952 691272 or visit the website http://www.ev-veterinaryproducts.co.uk/.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has today announced that it is placing a firm order with pharmaceutical company Intervet to supply 22.5 million doses of Bluetongue vaccine.

This follows a full assessment of the three bids submitted during the tender process announced by Defra on 1 November.

Although no suitable vaccine is currently available for the strain of Bluetongue circulating in England (serotype 8), this order will ensure that vaccine will be available as early as possible next summer to control the impact of Bluetongue and ease movement restrictions on vaccinated animals.

In keeping with the principles set out in the Bluetongue Control Strategy, which was developed in partnership with the farming industry, livestock keepers will be offered the opportunity to purchase vaccine from the vaccine bank.

Animal Health and Welfare Minister Jeff Rooker said: "I am pleased to announce that, following careful assessment of tenders for Bluetongue vaccine, Defra has chosen Intervet to supply 22.5 million doses. This decision is based on consideration of technical specification and price, and I am confident that the Intervet vaccine will offer the best value and most effective option to farmers."

Defra is urgently continuing work on developing a detailed plan with Bluetongue scientific experts, representatives of the farming industry and others as to how a vaccination programme would work. We will discuss this plan further with external scientific experts and stakeholders.

Hill’s Pet Nutrition has launched two new websites - http://www.myhillspuppy.com/ and http://www.myhillskitten.com/ - which are devoted to giving puppies and kittens their best start in life.

The sites provide pet owners with information, advice and support they need during the first year of their pet’s life covering everything from choosing their puppy or kitten through to when to vaccinate their pet and diet and nutrition advice.

The websites also encourage owners to register for regular email newsletters to help keep them up-to-date with their puppy or kitten’s changing needs and the importance of their pet’s key milestones. Consisting of information on vaccination, neutering, dental care and the importance of regular health checks, the newsletters will encourage owners to take advantage of products and services available from veterinary practices.

“Our new puppy and kitten websites provide pet owners with a wide range of easy to understand healthcare information which will help encourage them to stay loyal to their practice and following vet and vet nurse’s advice,” comments Libby Sheridan, UK veterinary affairs manager at Hill’s Pet Nutrition.

For more information on the Hill’s Pet Nutrition websites or range of products, please contact your Hill’s Territory Manager or call 0800 282438.

A new live vaccine for the control of Newcastle disease has been launched by German vaccine specialist, Lohmann Animal Health. Known as AviPro ND C131 and suitable for broilers, layers and breeders, it is produced from a cloned strain of the La Sota virus.

Newcastle disease, also known as pseudo-fowl pest, is highly contagious and one of the most devastating poultry diseases, typically resulting in high mortality in infected flocks. Cloned vaccines have the advantage of being more stable than mixed virus strain vaccines because they contain only one set of ‘genetic information’. Batch-related differences decrease giving more predictable performance.

AviPro ND C131 has received European registration and is licensed for use on chicks from 14 days old. It can be administered through the drinking water, via spray or by eye-drop. For commercial layers, re-vaccination during the laying period is possible.

The vaccine is available in packs of 1000, 2500, 5000 and 10,000 doses.

Dechra Pharmaceuticals PLC has announced that it has conditionally agreed to acquire VetXX for £61.7 million on a cash free, debt free basis, payable in cash upon completion.

VetXX is a leading developer, producer and marketer of companion animal veterinary products exclusively to veterinary professionals and wholesalers. Based in Denmark the company employs 165 people and operates in ten European countries (Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Holland, Spain, Portugal, France, Ireland and the UK). It also supplies through distributor agreements into other countries, including Japan and Germany.

The acquisition gives Dechra a strong European footprint and materially increases Dechra’s range of licensed veterinary pharmaceutical products. It will also give Dechra a sales and distribution network to market the enlarged product range and future developed products to veterinary practices and wholesalers within eight European countries, in addition to the UK and Ireland in which Dechra currently operates.

Following completion of the acquisition, Dechra's strategy will be unchanged, namely to seek to deliver medium to long-term growth through the development, by way of organic growth and acquisition, of its own branded veterinary pharmaceutical portfolio of both novel and generic products and the licensing of these key products into international markets. The acquisition will complement and expand the Enlarged Group's offering and help accelerate this strategy.

In view of its size, the acquisition is conditional, inter alia, on Dechra shareholder approval as required by the Listing Rules. The acquisition is expected to be completed by 15 January 2008.

Defra's Exotic Animal Disease Generic Contingency Plan was laid before Parliament last week.

The plan is amended annually and is produced for Defra. It includes an overarching plan for dealing with a range of exotic animal diseases, as well as plans for responding to specific diseases including Foot and Mouth Disease, Avian Influenza and, for the first time, Rabies and Bluetongue.

The Contingency Plan can be accessed on the Defra website at: www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/control/contingency/index.htm

FMD

• Extended surveillance has now been completed and submissions are being prepared to present to the OIE to achieve international freedom in the New Year.
• The second Export and Movement Restrictions Regulations came into force on 5thDecember, putting into place the decision reached at SCoFCAH on 20th November. Maps, information and licences regarding movement restrictions between the areas are available on the Defra website http://www.defra.gov.uk/footandmouth/.
  
  The majority of the country now resides in an FMD Free Export Area, which lifts the residency conditions placed upon the export of meat and products. Live animal export is still not possible. Live animal imports are now possible.
  
  The FMD Restricted Export Area has been reduced to the municipal districts in and around Surrey. Although exports of meat and products is now permitted, the residency requirements previously applicable in the wider area now apply here.
• The SCoFCAH meeting held on 3rd December made decisions to relax restrictions even further, and it is hoped these arrangements will come into force next Thursday 13th  December; but this date is yet to be confirmed.
  
  This decision repeals the FMD Restricted Export Area and reduces the FMD Free Export Area to the districts in and around Surrey, with the appropriate change in requirements, particularly losing the residency requirement.
  
  The rest of the country becomes an FMD Live Export area, essentially returning trade arrangements to the pre-FMD situation. It is therefore likely that, if exporters can make suitable arrangements, inspections for live exports of calves etc may begin from next
  Thursday.
• Certification requirements may however be complex due to extra considerations due to the bluetongue restrictions (see below). Movement restrictions between the areas are likely to remain in place.

BT

• The total of infected premises now stands at 66, with the confirmation from a report case investigation initially reported last week.
• Repeat sampling of IPs is about to be started to assess the level of transmission within the premises to help with decision to declare a Vector Free Period.

Petplan is inviting nominations for the 2008 Petplan Veterinary Awards, set up to celebrate excellence within practices throughout the country.

Nominations are being sought under four categories:

Vet of the Year
Vet Nurse of the Year
Receptionist of the Year
Practice of the Year

Petplan will again be presenting the Special Recognition Award in 2008. The award celebrates those veterinary professionals who work in television, newspapers, magazines, or on the radio. Last year’s winner Marc Abraham, vet on the Paul O’Grady Show, was recognised for his ongoing work in the media which raises the profile of the veterinary community and animal welfare.

A mailing will arrive with you soon containing the nomination forms that you and your clients can use to recognise a job well done, together with additional marketing materials such as posters and a leaflet dispenser. You can also nominate online at www.petplan.co.uk/vetawards, or download a nomination form.

In addition to the four main categories awarded on the night, Veterinary Business Journal also recognises achievement in practice with the hotly contested award for Practice Manager of the Year.

Simon Wheeler, Head of Marketing for Petplan says: “The Petplan Veterinary Awards continues to grow in stature each year and are a true reflection of the importance Petplan places on the working relationship between us and the profession. Reliable and transparent insurance provides the invaluable financial bridge between the profession and the owner to ensure that the best in veterinary care is available for our pets.

“The awards are now in their ninth year and we are never disappointed in our quest to discover veterinary staff that go far beyond the call of duty. Each year we are astonished by the response, with tales ranging from midnight rescues to simple acts of kindness and support.”

Further announcements will be made in the press and on the Petplan web site. To order more nomination forms, email: vetawards@petplan.co.uk or call 0845 678 1063.

Nominations close February 15 2008.

Petlog has launched the Petlog Premium Partner Programme (PPPP) - designed to establish a larger network of authorised agents, such as vets and microchip implanters, who can be contacted easily if a pet goes missing. An alert will then be emailed to the agent informing them of any lost pets within a 30 mile radius of their premises.

New BioPhen Plus, a disinfectant, effective against Avian Influenza (bird flu) H5N1 and other viruses, bacteria, moulds and fungi, has been launched by Biolink Ltd, Market Weighton, Yorkshire.

The product is Defra-approved for diseases of poultry orders, the Avian Influenza and influenza of avian origin of mammals order. It is a mixture of phenols, surfactants and organic acids giving a broad spectrum of activity. Suitable for all non-dairy livestock housing, vehicles and abattoirs, it fills the gap left by the withdrawal of the old tar acid phenols.

Particular properties include tolerance of organic matter and temperature fluctuations as well as its ability to work equally well in both hard and soft water.

To ensure the disinfectant remains liquid in exposed and vulnerable positions in winter, such as foot mats, wheel- and foot-dips — vital to bio-security during disease outbreaks — Biolink has also developed a special antifreeze solution. Specifically designed to be compatible with New BioPhen Plus, it prevents freezing in temperatures as low as –25ºC, without affecting Defra approval.

Available in 5 litre easy-to-pour plastic containers, New BioPhen Plus is diluted at the rate of 1:75 for general-purpose applications and at other rates for specific diseases.

“It’s important to note that many diseases, including bird flu, are spread via organic matter which makes it imperative to use a disinfectant that remains effective in its presence,” commented Tony Moore, Biolink distributor. “Furthermore, even the best bio-security can be compromised in winter if the disinfectant in foot and wheel-baths freezes and loses its effectiveness as a liquid.”

For more information, contact: Tony Moore on 01508 471157 or 07888 744656 [mob], or by e-mail at: tonyrgmoore@aol.com