The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) has said that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) will "simplify" some of the procedures around prescribing bluetongue virus (BTV) vaccines.

A department information note on bluetongue, dated yesterday (Thursday, March 12) said that there is now no requirement to notify the department when animals are vaccinated with a bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) vaccine.

Previously, the department had to be notified within 30 days of vaccination.

The department briefing note said it is still advisable that the livestock owner or keeper supplied with the BTV-3 vaccines continues to keep written or digital records of all vaccines administered.

The IFA said that the changes made by the department are "practical" for farmers and vets, and will reduce costs and simplify prescribing of the product.

David Hall, the association's animal health chairperson, said the adjustments are a practical response to concerns about unnecessary administration that would slow down the vaccination rollout. 

"These changes are a clear step in the right direction. Farmers and vets need a system that allows vaccines to get onto farms quickly without being tied up in excessive administration," Hall said.

According to the IFA, the department will also revise the approach for veterinary practitioners.

While veterinary practitioners must still notify the department of the herd numbers to be added to their vaccine licence, they no longer need to wait for confirmation from the department before supplying the vaccine to farmers. 

According to Hall, a separate concern, especially for smaller farmers, is the cost of having to buy a 50ml bottle of vaccine when they only need a small number of doses.

The IFA animal health chairperson said that this concern will now be resolved, with the department moving to allow the purchase of the number of doses required on the farm, and increasing availability of the product by making available the remaining product to other farmers.

He said this approach is "very practical" and "reduces the costs for farmers".

"Vets can prescribe in animal doses and prescribe for multiple farms from the same bottle to facilitate this, effectively allowing farmers to share bottles of vaccine," Hall said.

He said there are 1.15 million doses of vaccine in the country, with 600,000 of these already secured by farmers.

"Shipments of vaccination are arriving this week and again next week, which will continue to support the strong uptake we are seeing," he noted.

Hall called on farmers to remain vigilant for signs of the disease, and to continue to report any concerns to their private veterinary practitioner or local department office, and to continue to submit samples of still born calves and lambs to the regional veterinary laboratories.