Virbac has announced that its calf scour vaccine Bovigen Scour has been recently granted VMD approval for a single-shot vaccination protocol in pregnant cows and heifers, given 12-3 weeks prior to calving; the first and only single-shot scour vaccine to be approved in Europe in more than 18 years.

Dr Rosie Reyneke,technical product manager, farm animal at Virbac UK, said it now means that irrespective of previous vaccination history, only a single injection of the vaccine given 12-3 weeks prior to calving is required to boost cow serum and therefore colostrum antibody levels against rotavirus, coronavirus and E. coli(K99) – the major and most common viral and bacterial causes of diarrhoea in dairy and beef calves.

The recent SPC change also encompassed an extension of the shelf life to three years, which Dr Reyneke said, will make it easier to manage and maintain supply and stock levels to customers.

She added: “Bovigen Scour is the most recent single shot scour vaccine on the market, and now with the ease of use afforded by the new one-shot protocol, will allow our customers to engage more deeply with farmers to develop the use of vaccination as a preventative means to improve the welfare of the UK’s dairy and beef calves.”