Will the Cabinet Minister confirm what capacity exists within the Government's laboratories in regards to testing for bluetongue and what is the timescale for the test results?
Member Interest Detail
I am a partner in a family farming business.
The Pirbright Institute is the National Reference Laboratory for Bluetongue diagnosis. As its capacity is being stretched by the current outbreak, additional surge testing will be undertaken at the APHA laboratory in Weybridge.
The Welsh Government is part of the Bluetongue Vaccine Taskforce, that works to improve the supply of vaccine available for use in Great Britain. The Task Force comprises all three GB administrations, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, farming industry representatives and members of the veterinary associations.
Vaccine manufacturers and wholesalers regularly attend the Task Force meetings and are currently importing products from Northern Ireland and Europe to help meet demand in GB. They advise that commercial decisions around further imports and vaccine production runs are dependent on demand from industry. All members of the Task Force are urging farmers and vets to place orders for vaccine to demonstrate demand and ensure additional supplies are made available.