Guidance

Bluetongue: general licence to vaccinate against serotypes 1, 2, 4 and 8 (EXD568(BTV-1,2,4 and 8)(E))

Use this licence to vaccinate animals against BTV-1, 2, 4 and 8 in England.

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Details

You must report your use of the BTV-1, 2, 4 and 8 vaccine. It is against the law to use the vaccine without reporting it.

Vaccinating against BTV-3 is more important than vaccinating against BTV-1, 2, 4 and 8, because BTV-3 is more widespread.

You should consult your vet if you are considering vaccinating your animals.

It can take up to 6 weeks for your animals to be fully immune following vaccination against BTV 1, 2, 4 and 8. They may need 2 doses of the vaccine 3 weeks apart.

Bluetongue virus can be transmitted through contaminated needles. Animal keepers and vets should follow good practice when treating and vaccinating animals.   

You can read more about bluetongue vaccines in the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) Product Information Database: search for ‘Bluetongue virus’ in the ‘Active Substance’ field. 

Vets: importing vaccines

Vets can apply for a Special Import Certificate (SIC) to import a bluetongue vaccine.

Updates to this page

Published 23 August 2012
Last updated 26 September 2024 show all updates
  1. You must report your vaccine activity. Information and a reporting form for this task has been added to the page.

  2. Animal keepers can now vaccinate against BTV-3, but must comply with a different licence. Note added to page along with a link to more information.

  3. First published.

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