The organisations, which are jointly promoting the Joint campaign Against Bluetongue (JAB) in the region are now urging all livestock keepers in Lincolnshire to contact their vet and order supplies of the bluetongue vaccine to protect their flocks and herds.

NFU policy adviser Simon Fisher said: "This is further good news in the fight against bluetongue.

"In order to give ruminants the bluetongue vaccine, farmers and smallholders need to be in the bluetongue protection zone. This extension signals the start of a process that will eventually cover the entire East Midlands region over coming weeks.

"This is good news as the extension is earlier than anticipated and as we see the onset of warmer weather not before time as midge activity and therefore the potential to see the disease spread increases. The release of vaccine over the past week into the protection zone is the start of the process of stopping bluetongue in its tracks."

Farmers previously outside the protection zone will now be under tighter movement restrictions. The NFU and CLA are advising farmers to check carefully the new movement restrictions that will apply. From Monday farmers in the west of Lincolnshire may no longer be able to move live ruminants to market at Melton and Newark.

CLA regional director Helen Woolley said: "This will be a temporary effect that the PZ extension creates. It will ease as the protection zone moves west over coming weeks, however it will cause trading difficulties in the short term."

The NFU and CLA estimate that the livestock industry is worth in the region of £106 million in the East Midlands alone.