The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is being called on to make bluetongue vaccines available in smaller quantities.

The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA) said that the current minimum of 50 vaccines should be reduced, in the interests of lowering costs on farmers.

Eamon Carroll, the association's deputy president, said that, in present circumstances, attention must be given to lowering costs on farmers.

He claimed that the 50 vaccine minimum is acting as a disincentive to vaccinate and is also leading to wastage of the vaccine.

"ICMSA has been contacted by members in recent days highlighting the fact that they can only purchase the bluetongue vaccine at a minimum of 50 vaccines, meaning that a farmer with 30 animals has to pay for 50 vaccines while a farmer with 180 animals has to pay for 200," Carroll said.

"At a time when all other costs are escalating considerably and when farmers should be encouraged to vaccinate their animals, a minimum purchase of 50 is adding to the cost," he added.

He called for vaccines to be made available in batches of 10 or 20, so that farmers can purchase the amount for their own herd.

The ICMSA deputy president said that this solution would be "very simple and completely workable", and would minimise the cost while ensuring that the vaccine is not "unnecessarily wasted".

Carroll said there is "huge concern" in relation to the impact of bluetongue over the coming months.

He called on Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon to "ensure that all farmers are facilitated in every way possible to vaccinate their animals and this must include the availability of vaccines in smaller volumes".

Bluetongue

In the most recent updates on the bluetongue situation this week, the department said that bluetongue virus has now been confirmed in "multiple cattle herds" in southern and eastern areas.

The first case of bluetongue was confirmed in a suckler herd in Co. Wexford on January 24.

The department has now confirmed that further investigations have identified bluetongue in 10 additional herds through tracing and active surveillance in the southeast.