Ireland's Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has obtained permission to import the Arvac vaccine ahead of the 2025 breeding season, the European Federation of Thoroughbred Breeders' Associations (EFTBA) announced on Monday.
The manufacturing failure of the Artervac vaccine in 2023 had left Europe's elite stallions vulnerable to an outbreak of EVA, a notifiable disease which can cause infertility, as well as pregnancy loss in mares.
The EFTBA and its members, including Ireland, France and Germany, had lobbied the EU for permission to import the alternative vaccine, Arvac, from the USA, throughout 2023. These efforts were not successful, but the advice from DAFM on Monday represents a significant breakthrough and sets a precedent for other EFTBA countries including the UK. The terms and conditions of use will be available on Tuesday.
EFTBA chairman Joe Hernon said, “This is a clear illustration of the importance of EFTBA and its ability to lobby at EU and national levels, on behalf of our industry.”
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