THE pharmaceutical company Zoetis has informed the Irish breeding industry that the equine herpes vaccine (pneumabort-K) will be back on the market in early December.

A shortage of vaccine in recent months forced sales companies in Ireland and Britain to take special measures at breeding stock sales to ensure that unvaccinated broodmares did not pose a disease risk.

Des Leadon, veterinary advisor to the ITBA, reported this week: “Following representations since September from the ITBF, the EFTBA, national associations, private stud farms and the veterinary profession, Zoetis has stated it will have 9,500 doses available in the first week of December. A similar sized batch will be released in the first week of January and then 25,000 doses will be available through the German market in February.”

Plans are being put in place to avoid another shortage in the future. Leadon said: “There is an agreement that there will be an ongoing dialogue between Zoetis and the thoroughbred industry on the availability of the vaccine. The meetings will start next spring, either in the Zoetis headquarters in Brussels or at the EFTBA meeting.”