Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the Veterinary Medicines Directorate’s five-year strategy to improve the (a) availability and (b) continuity of supply of sheep vaccines.

Defra is aware of the concerns regarding the availability and continuity of supply of vaccines for sheep and other animal species. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate, an agency of Defra, has held several meetings convening stakeholders from across government, the pharmaceutical industry and wider animal health sector to discuss the barriers and potential solutions to improving vaccine availability and innovation. These discussions highlighted the complex multifactorial nature of the problem and the need to champion a collaborative, cross-sector approach moving forwards. The intention is to publish a statement of intent outlining a strategic framework for such an approach in the near future.