³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-17650 on 14 November 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament website, the search facility for which can be found at .

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-17468 on 14 November 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at .

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-17470 on 14 November 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at .

As part of the work of the work with stakeholder organisations to develop the Scottish bluetongue vaccination strategy the Scottish Government commissioned its Centre of Excellence in epidemiology (EPIC) to assess the impact of a number of potential bluetongue scenarios and associated disease control responses. The report can be found at .

The main findings of the report were that an outbreak of bluetongue would cost Scotland an estimated £100 million a year and that a mass vaccination campaign would have the most positive impact in avoiding such outbreak costs.

Industry stakeholders requested a compulsory approach to vaccination given the veterinary advice, and experiences with other serotypes of bluetongue elsewhere in Europe, that a mass vaccination campaign is the only effective way of eradicating bluetongue or preventing it from becoming established. At the 9 April 2008 meeting of the Scottish Government - industry bluetongue stakeholder group all representative organisations unanimously signed up to this approach.

The vaccination strategy was designed, and agreed, in conjunction with all these organisations and the results of the EPIC work were presented to the stakeholder group on 23 June. This meeting reaffirmed that vaccination should be compulsory in cattle and sheep (but strongly encouraged in other species).

The analysis was undertaken by a multi-disciplinary team of experts covering areas such as epidemiology, entomology and economics. As part of their work they considered a wide range of factors such of the costs to industry of movement restrictions associated with appropriate zones, the costs of vaccination, disease surveillance and the potential impacts on trade.

The analysis did not consider the approach to vaccination or uptake elsewhere in Great Britain as this is not pertinent to the costs of a vaccination campaign in Scotland. These factors are however very relevant to the risk to Scotland and the need to vaccinate. Given that to date there have been no domestic re-emergence of disease within Great Britain there had been some hope that vaccination against bluetongue virus 8 would not be required this year. However the eight separate incidents of bluetongue positive animals being imported into England and Wales, and their lower than hoped vaccine uptake illustrated a high level of risk to the Scottish livestock industry. Given this situation the Scottish Government industry stakeholder group agreed on 15 September that a vaccination campaign should be initiated this year to ensure that the Scottish livestock industry was protected before next summer''s high-risk period.

A mass vaccination supported by compulsion was agreed by stakeholders to be the only effective way of protecting Scotland''s livestock from the risk of bluetongue virus becoming established in Scotland. The approach to vaccination elsewhere in Great Britain is not relevant to the costs of the Scottish industry. It is relevant to the risk level to Scotland. A number of bluetongue positive import cases in England and Wales, combined with a lower that preferred level of uptake of vaccination in these areas was considered to mean a high risk of bluetongue to Scotland.

The decision that vaccination was required in Scotland this year was taken at the Scottish Government industry bluetongue stakeholder meeting held on 16 September. This meeting had been called following the finding of 18 bluetongue positive animals in County Durham, the impact of which could have been to impose a Bluetongue Restriction Zone in Scotland. The minutes of the meeting can be found at:

.

Industry representatives requested a compulsory approach to bluetongue vaccination as the veterinary advice and experience with eradicating other strains of bluetongue elsewhere in Europe is that a mass vaccination is the only strategy likely to avoid bluetongue virus 8 from becoming established in Scotland.

The Scottish Government “ industry discussions on the bluetongue 8 vaccination campaign have also drawn on European Commission guidance which has advocated compulsion as a mechanism for ensuring the necessary mass take up required.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-17468 on 14 November 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at .

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-17468 on 14 November 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at .

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-17468 on 14 November 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at .

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-17468 on 14 November 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at .