Bluetongue protection zone extended from Thursday

The bluetongue protection zone is set to be extended on Thursday (7 August) after two million additional doses of vaccine were released.

The protection zone will cover parts of Shropshire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and North Yorkshire which were previously in the free area.

The whole of Merseyside and Lancashire will also be covered.

DEFRA said it would continue to roll out vaccination to the free area as soon as vaccines are delivered.

It encouraged farmers to order vaccine so they could protect livestock at the earliest opportunity.

The 2m doses made available this week are the first of 13m doses ordered from animal health company Merial to cover livestock in the free areas.