The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) Presidents’ Initiative is showcasing a case study on an animal vaccine that was developed by “unsung heroes” Prof. Willie Donachie and the Pasteurella team.
The vaccine has reportedly “transformed herd and flock health for farmers across the world over the last 25 years” and has turned out to be one of the most “significant global advances” in livestock vaccination.
Ian Duncan Millar, RHASS Presidents’ Initiative honorary president, said: “Willie and the Pasteurella team are often unsung heroes, but they’ve contributed enormously to global livestock high health, and exemplified how collaborative science and farming both carve out a legacy and define the future.
“This extraordinary step in science, and its ongoing impact 25 years on, is a testament to the importance of continuous scientific research and development to support optimal farming and food production.”
The vaccine
The Mannheimia (Pasteurella) haemolytica vaccine was developed at the Moredun Institute by Prof. Donachie and his research team.
The vaccine “owes its success” to the discovery that to survive, the bacteria needed to be able to access iron.
From this, Prof. Donachie developed a new technique that significantly reduced the occurrence of pneumonia in lambs and calves.
Prof. Donachie explained that it was a really “exciting time” using new technologies to make “new” discoveries.
He said it was “strange as well because we were working on something game changing, but we couldn’t talk about it to anyone while the development was ongoing”.
“Vaccinations are prevention rather than cure, and it was important to get a vaccine that could cover all strains of P.haemolytica in one.
“We were fortunate, it was the right people and the right time, and, like all my research and work over 37 years at Moredun, it was the fantastic opportunity to work collaboratively with farmers and scientists to create necessary solutions for real issues.”
The vaccine created at Moredon was the first vaccine able to immunise against all 15 strains of Pasteurella.
The success
Andrew Houstoun, a hill livestock farmer who farms 1,100 breeding ewes and 160 Angus cattle, as well as deer in Highland Pertshire, said the vaccine is “vital” for the way he farms and ensuring consistent flock and herd health.
Houstoun said: “This is essential for our system as we have sheep out on the hill and across a number of other farms and farming extensively like this, we can’t keep a close eye on all the sheep all the time and may miss signs of declining health.
“We’d be lost without it – it’s easier management for us; it keeps treatment costs and losses down, and productivity up.
“There are a lot of challenges in sheep farming at the moment between rising feed costs, lack of labour and profitability, but one thing we are lucky with is health.”
Prof. Donachie, who went on to be deputy director of Moredun Research Institute and managing director of Moredun Scientific, was awarded an OBE in 2016 for services to animal and veterinary biosciences.