‘Major concern' as MSD ceases lepto vaccine production
Irish Farmers' Association animal health chairperson, TJ Maher has said that farmers are 'now left scrambling to secure an alternative' vaccine.
MSD ruminant unit business director, Jack O'Connor has confirmed that the 'difficult decision' has been made to discontinue the production of Bovilis Leptavoid-H.
'Bovilis Leptavoid-H was developed more than 30 years ago, and while this unique vaccine has a strong safety and efficacy profile, it has always proven very difficult to produce, creating recurrent supply challenges,' O'Connor explained.
'Despite multiple years of improvement and remediation efforts, we have not been able to consistently supply the market with a product that meets our quality standards.
'MSD Animal Health is a strong advocate for the important role vaccination plays in reducing the incidence and severity of disease, protecting animal welfare and enabling efficient farming of livestock.'
IFA' s TJ Maher said this is going to create a serious issue for farmers who are due to administer a lepto vaccine to their herd in the coming months.
'Reports from our members indicate that there are little alternatives currently available with one of the key alternative vaccines not available until September,' Maher said.
'This could mean that a lot of cattle herds will lose protection from leptospirosis if they miss their annual booster shot.'
Vaccine shortages
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that often leads to reduced milk production, decreased fertility and abortions in cows.
It is also a zoonotic disease meaning that humans can potentially pick up the disease from infected animals, which further increases the potential implications of this vaccine shortage.
The IFA animal health chairperson outlined that the availability of vaccines when needed is critical for farmers in protecting and maintaining the health, welfare and productivity of animals while reducing antibiotic usage.
'Over the last number of years, farmers have experienced increasing shortages of certain vaccines at critical times and here we are with the same problem yet again,' Maher said.
'Pasteurella vaccine availability have been especially problematic this year.'
According to Maher, there have been several special import licences issued for alternative vaccines, but these 'often come too late after supplies have been depleted'.
'The Department of Agriculture must be more proactive in identifying potential supply issues at an early stage and intervene to avoid a situation like we are facing now where farmers may not be able to protect their herd from a potentially very harmful disease,' Maher added.
'These vaccines are too important to animal and human health; we cannot have situations where these vaccines become unavailable to farmers.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Agriland
4 days ago
- Agriland
Watch: ABP Demo Farm manager talks all things dairy calf-to-beef
Farm manager Sean Maher explained that of the 419 calves bought-in on the farm this spring, only three were lost in the rearing period and attributed this low mortality rate to both the kinder weather conditions this spring as well as good calf care and management. There are currently 411 calves at grass with five smaller reared calves housed. In previous years, summer scour was an issue on the farm but a new post-weaning strategy was implemented last year which to date has thankfully eliminated cases in calves during their first season at grass. Maher attributes the elimination of summer scour cases to calves spending longer times in the shed post weaning. He said: "We looked back to calves that were getting summer scour syndrome and it was the last calves to go to grass every year. "So when we looked back on the figures, our first batch of calves were spending about 35-40 days in the shed after coming off milk, that was largely down to the time of year and weather conditions. "Every calf is now spending 35-40 days in the shed post weaning." The system on the ABP Demo farm is a 19-month-heifer beef and a 20-month-steer beef system. Achieving peak performance at all stages is essential on the ABP Demo Farm. On average daily live weight gain, Maher said for the milk feeding period, the farm is averaging 0.65kg/day. He said: "Calves come in at around 55-60kg, being weaned at about 90-95kg and turned out to grass at 120kg." On carcass performance, the farm manager said: "Over the last few years, the good with the bad, we have been averaging 275kg carcass weight for our heifers at 19 months-of-age and our steers, about 325kg carcass weight at 20 months." 50 of the spring 2023-born heifers went to the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) progeny test centre in Tully, Co. Kildare last month for performance recording during their finishing stage. The remaining spring 2023-born heifers on the farm were housed for finishing earlier this week. 100 steers will go to Tully in September for performance recording and the remaining steers will be housed on the ABP Demo Farm for finishing. Commenting on the Commercial Beef Value (CBV), the farm manager said it is "a relatively new tool available to dairy calf-to-beef farmers and we are recommending our farmers to keep it in mind when buying calves". A 10ac paddock was reseeded last week on the farm. This had been growing lower yields of grass despite having optimum soil fertility and so was sprayed off, disked, sowed, and rolled. It was reseeded with a grass-clover mix and a further 20ac will be reseeded on the farm in the coming weeks. The ABP Demo Farm is currently involved in a trial with University College Dublin (UCD) where a 32ac plot of ground has two different sward types. 16ac is grown in a multi-species sward (MSS) and 16ac is grown in a perennial ryegrass (PRG) sward. There are a batch of Angus and Hereford steers with thee same weight at turnout allocated to each sward type. Maher said: "Both batches of cattle look good but there is a big fertiliser saving on the MSS sward. It has only got two fertiliser applications this year versus the PRG sward that has got six fertiliser applications. Approximately 600 store lambs will be bought in this autumn as when the older cattle are housed for finishing, the grass demand falls off significantly. These store lambs are then finished the following March and "fit in well to the system on the demo farm". If farmers want to learn more on calf rearing, are looking for advice on getting started or if the ABP farm liaison team can help with any issues, farmers can contact Maher by e-mail at Stay tuned to Agriland for further updates from the ABP Demo Farm and the Advantage Beef Programme.
Irish Examiner
7 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Glanbia upgrades full-year outlook on strong performances of dairy and health segments
Irish food giant Glanbia upgraded its full-year guidance for 2025 on the back of strong results for the first half of the year, with revenues rising 6% to $1.93bn (€1.7bn) driven by growth in its Health & Nutrition (H&N) and Dairy Nutrition (DN) divisions. The Kilkenny firm, which separated from the farmer-owned co-op Tirlán to focus on its global business, increased its interim dividend by 10% to 17.20 cent per share and returned €62.8m to shareholders via share buyback programs. Glanbia's Health & Nutrition division, which creates flavourings and ingredients for other companies, saw an 18% revenue increase, driven by a 6.9% rise in volume and a significant 11.5% contribution from acquisition. Glanbia announced the acquisition of Sweetmix, a Brazil-based nutritional solutions business, to facilitate growth in the Latin American market. The Dairy Nutrition segment delivered a 14.1% increase in revenue. This was driven by a combination of volume growth and favourable dairy market pricing. Glanbia CEO Hugh McGuire. However, the company's Performance Nutrition (PN) division faced challenges, with a 3.8% decline in revenue. This was primarily attributed to elevated whey protein costs and anticipated declines in non-core brands. However, Glanbia said there were positive signs of recovery, particularly with the flagship Optimum Nutrition brand, which saw a revenue increase in the second quarter. CEO Hugh McGuire said: 'Today's results reflect a first half of significant execution and progress as we generated 6% revenue growth in the period, underpinned by strong growth in H&N and DN and a sequential improvement in PN through the period as the Group navigated significant macroeconomic volatility.' Glanbia announced the appointment of Paul Duffy as Chair-Designate, who will succeed Donard Gaynor on January 1.
Agriland
09-08-2025
- Agriland
Poultry farmers seek more support for when disease strikes
Farmers want "poultry disease compensation scheme" funding in Budget 2026. The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) has outlined that a scheme is needed for table egg layers and broiler breeders in particular, as the current scheme "does not fully reimburse losses or even the value of the stock at the time the loss is incurred". "The current funding mechanism does not adequately support the needs of farming families or the poultry sector," according to the IFA. "The Irish poultry industry consistently delivers improvements in biosecurity and disease prevention; however, in the rare case when support is required, it falls drastically short." The IFA poultry committee, in conjunction with Poultry Ireland, is asking the government to allocate additional funding in Budget 2026 to the poultry sector for specific diseases. The IFA is also seeking the establishment of an 'island culling team' to ensure the sector can "quickly respond to contain diseases should there be an outbreak". Salmonella is one of the diseases of concern for poultry farmers, especially with its public health significance. The IFA said that recently, there have been some detections of salmonella within the poultry sector. "These cases were identified at stages where there was no risk to human health, highlighting the effectiveness of on-farm controls, sampling regimes and official testing structures," the IFA said. "However, these incidents have underscored the considerable risks poultry farmers carry and the absence of adequate support mechanisms if a farm is affected." The IFA is seeking support from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) on a "national disease support structure" for the sector. Salmonella is an "ubiquitous bacterium" with many serotypes, which are typically found in human and animal digestive tracts, a spokesperson for DAFM explained. "There are a large variety of salmonella serotypes with some of them more common in poultry than others," DAFM said. "All poultry types are susceptible to salmonella. Only a few of these salmonella serotypes are of poultry health interest, meaning that they cause disease in poultry, while not affecting humans." These are: salmonella gallinarum, salmonella pullorum and salmonella arizonae - and DAFM told Agriland that they are not present in Ireland. Poultry can carry zoonotic salmonella serotypes, including salmonella enteritidis and salmonella typhimurium. These zoonotic salmonella serovars have the potential to cause human illness - but not illness in poultry. "There is a low incidence of zoonotic salmonella serotypes in commercial poultry flocks in Ireland, in large part due to biosecurity measures and on-farm controls taken," DAFM said. Under EU regulations, table egg layers (hens), broilers, broiler breeders, fattening turkeys, and turkey breeder flocks are tested at defined intervals for public health significant serotypes, according to the department. "This is done by taking boot swabs and in some cases dust swabs to detect salmonella in the poultry environment," a DAFM spokesperson said. "The monitoring is carried out under the Salmonella National Control Plan. Flocks considered to be backyard, i.e. on non-intensive holdings, are not included in the plan." The Salmonella National Control Plan was established in 2012., with the aim of reducing or controling the prevalence of salmonella in a number of regulated serovars under the EU zoonoses regulations. The plan operates on an ongoing basis and includes regular sampling by both department staff and farmers at multiple points during the life stages of the broiler flocks, DAFM explained. There are multiple potential routes of entry of salmonella into a poultry flock - but these are controlled by good standards of biosecurity. And credit is due to Ireland's poultry keepers: there is an overall low incidence of salmonella recorded in Irish flocks. Salmonella vaccination in poultry is not carried out routinely in Ireland, partly due to this low incidence of salmonella, according to the DAFM spokesperson. This low incidence, alongside the strict and good biosecurity measures in place and indirect benefits from heat treatment of poultry feed, are proven to be important measures in the control of salmonella in Ireland. The department allocates funding annually for the compensation of zoonotic salmonella outbreaks in poultry flocks, on a ex-gratia basis. The scheme applies only to suspected or confirmed outbreaks of salmonella enteritidis and typhimurium, the DAFM spokesperson said. All broiler breeder and turkey breeder farms and table egg laying farms infected with these are subject to compulsory slaughter. Payment is only made following confirmation by a department veterinarian that all relevant biosecurity measures have been adhered to. Salmonella species can cause illness called salmonellosis in humans, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) explained. In 2023, salmonellosis was the fourth most commonly reported foodborne infection in humans in Ireland, according to FSAI data, and the second most commonly reported overall in the EU. Salmonella enterica is a key cause of foodborne illness, the FSAI told Agriland. "Out of its six sub-species, enterica is the most relevant to human health and includes over 2,400 serotypes," the FSAI explained. "In recent years, the majority of reported human cases of salmonellosis in Ireland have been attributed to its serotypes salmonella typhimurium and salmonella enteritidis." People infected with salmonella typically develop symptoms between 12 and 36 hours after infection, but this can range between six and 72 hours. The FSAI advises that the most common symptom is diarrhoea, which can sometimes be bloody. Other symptoms may include fever, headache, and abdominal cramps. The illness usually lasts four to seven days. "While most people recover without treatment, diarrhoea can occasionally be severe enough to require hospital admission. "The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to develop severe illness," the FSAI said. The authority notes that many foods have been identified as potential sources of transmission for salmonella to humans. This includes foods of animal origin, as well as non-animal foods that may be susceptible to faecal contamination. Those of particular importance include undercooked poultry meat (chicken, turkey, duck, and goose) and undercooked pork meat, the FSAI warned. The authority recently confirmed a recall of a batch of turkey burgers due to the possible presence of salmonella. The implicated batch of Hogan's Farm Turkey Burgers has a use-by date of July 26, 2025, and although this date has passed, the FSAI noted that the product is suitable for home freezing. As a result, the authority is advising consumers to check their freezers for the affected batch and not to eat the burgers. "There have also been salmonellosis outbreaks linked to contaminated eggs and egg products, raw (unpasteurised) milk, fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds, and processed foods (e.g., bakery products, sweets, and chocolate)," the FSAI told Agriland. "Consumption of undercooked duck eggs or dishes containing raw or lightly cooked duck eggs have been linked to outbreaks of salmonellosis in Ireland in recent years." To reduce the risk of exposure to salmonella and the development of salmonellosis, consumers should always cook food thoroughly. Good hygiene must also be practised, along with avoiding cross-contamination. Food should also be stored correctly. The FSAI notes that eggs are stored at ambient temperature in retail shops, but it is recommended that they are refrigerated by consumers at home. According to the FSAI, there has been recent evidence to suggest that imported poultry products may present a higher risk of salmonella contamination compared to domesticallyproduced Irish poultry. "This risk may vary depending on the country of origin for the poultry, the production standards they use, and the salmonella control measures they have in place," the FSAI explained. In 2022, the FSAI undertook a National Microbiological Survey assessing the microbiological quality of chilled and frozen coated poultry meat preparations and poultry meat products intended to be consumed cooked. Salmonella infantis was detected in 1.3% of the samples surveyed. Four of the contaminated products originated from Poland (one) and Ukraine (three), while the country of origin for the fifth product could not be determined.
