Bluetongue vaccine was made available to farmers West Sussex today, as Defra extended the protection zone and released a further one million doses of vaccine.

The decision has seen the Dorset and South East zones joined, now covering all of Hampshire and West Sussex, as well as Lincolnshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

Eventually the protection zone will cover the whole of England as more vaccine is delivered to farmers over the summer.

Farmers in East Sussex received vaccines earlier this month because the area has been in the protection zone since last summer.