JUNE 16, 2008: The news Defra Secretary of State Hilary Benn has agreed to order a further eight million doses of Bluetongue vaccine for England has been welcomed by the Joint Action against Bluetongue industry group.

The eight million dose of vaccine, which is to be supplied by Merial, is expected to be delivered through the summer and should be completed by September.In a joint statement JAB said “This is excellent news as it means we will now have sufficient vaccine to cover the whole of England. This will allow farmers to protect their own livestock against the devastating bluetongue disease.”When we started the process of looking at vaccine supply we thought it would take most of this year to secure sufficient vaccine supplies. However, despite recent delays in vaccine release, the process has so far exceeded expectations and to be in a position of having sufficient vaccine for the whole of England by September is extremely good news.”

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