These information sheets are provided for your interest. They should not replace veterinary advice from your veterinary surgeon.

Whilst every effort is taken to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information provided at the time of writing, your specific circumstances must be discussed before advice can be given.

BVDfree England

BREAK FREE FROM BVD

AND HELP TO ERADICATE IT FROM ENGLAND

Did you know that every day an animal persistently infected (PI) with BVD (bovine viral diarrhoea virus) stays on your farm, you are losing money through reduced fertility and poor growth rates?

Most cattle farmers will have come across this disease at some point in their careers. And many will already know that finding and removing BVD from your herd will end the direct costs associated with BVD infection. These costs include poor fertility, ill-thrift and poor production. BVD also suppresses the immune system which increases both the chance and severity of secondary diseases, such as pneumonia and scours.

The BVDFree England Scheme (https://bvdfree.org.uk/)  was launched in July 2016. This is the first national scheme in England, and the aim is to eliminate BVD from all cattle herds by 2022.

The Scheme uses a simple four step approach to achieve this objective, using the ‘ADAM’ principles:

  1. Assess the level of biosecurity and disease risk on your farm,
  2. Define the BVD status of your herd,
  3. Act to remove BVD from your farm and/or to make sure you stay free
  4. Monitor progress with an annual status check.

Many of our herds already screen for BVD and we retain all the results in our system. The BVDFree scheme allows you to have the tests uploaded and stored on the BVDFree database. The negative BVD status of your animals is displayed on the database, so you can promote this when trading. You can also check the BVD status of animals before you buy any new stock, so you don’t bring BVD back to spread infection to your herd.

Joining all the other farmers in the scheme and working to achieve BVD free status means your herd will be recognised as BVDFree. To find out more about joining, speak to Sally or Brendan (01278 734828).

Evolution is fully supporting the elimination of BVD from all cattle herds in England. We believe there are two main factors to consider:

  • What is your current BVD status? You can screen individual animals as calves by testing and tagging. Or, on a herd level, you can test the bulk tank to find out if there are any individuals which are PIs.
  • How do you intend to control it if it is present? We are strong advocators of vaccination. We use Bovela vaccine which gives full protection for 12 months following a single injection.

If you do not currently screen for BVD and would like to find out more about this or about control measures, speak to Sally or Brendan (01278 734828) or have a look at the website www.bvdzero.com

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bvdfree england