The association warns that animal health is being put at risk.

The National Sheep Association (NSA) has demanded that the Government and vaccine manufacturers take action to secure a reliable supply of vaccines for use in the farming sector, following shortages to key products.

Over the past 24 months, there have been problems in the supply of vaccines against clostridial diseases, Pasteurellosis, toxoplasmosis, foot rot, and orf.

And just last month, Ceva Animal Health announced a temporary shortage of the Cevac Chlamydia vaccine, which protects sheep against enzootic abortion. The company is blaming the shortage on delays in the manufacturing and distribution process.

NSA chief executive Phil Stocker said: “We know that improved health leads to reduction in waste, productivity gains, and lower carbon footprints, as well as more responsible use of antibiotics. However, as vaccine availability has become a serious issue it is negatively impacting the health and welfare of animals, at the time when we need vaccines most.”

In response to the recent shortages, NSA has written to government officials at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, and the Animal and Plant Health Agency, as well as to vaccine manufacturers and distributors. The association is urging them to work with the farming and veterinary sectors to create a more reliable production and distribution chain for vaccines in the UK.

Mr Stocker added: “There is little point in encouraging vaccine uptake if farmers can’t access the products. NSA is hearing time and again that the disruptions are Brexit related, and as an independent nation we now need some strategic forward thinking and planning to overcome these problems and avoid them happening again.”

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