Dutch Ministry signed contract on vaccine bank for Classical Swine Fever

29 September 2005

On 28th of September 2005 the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture signed a contract with Intervet about a vaccine bank of Porcilis Pesti, Intervet's marker vaccine against Classical Swine Fever. The agreement covers a reserve of 500 000 doses of the vaccine for emergency vaccination in case of an outbreak of Classical Swine Fever in the Netherlands. The Netherlands is the first European country establishing such a vaccine bank for emergency vaccination against Classical Swine Fever, after the European commission decided in 2004 to set up community stocks.

The last major swine fever epidemic occurred in 1997/1998, with outbreaks in Germany, Belgium, Italy and notably in Spain and the Netherlands. In the Netherlands alone 13 million pigs (in over 400 outbreaks) were slaughtered and destroyed during this epidemic and 1.7 million in Spain (in about 100 outbreaks).  The situation has largely improved over the past few years, but the disease persists in wild boar in some areas of the Community and in some bordering countries. It therefore continues to present a serious threat to pig farming in the Community, in particular in areas with a high density of pigs where it can be very difficult to get outbreaks under control.
Intervet's vaccine is being successfully used in Eastern Europe and Central America.