Some 4.06 million BVD results have now been received by the ICBF since the beginning of the voluntary phase of the BVD eradication programme in 2012.

This year, it says BVD test results continue to be received at the ICBF and are being processed accordingly. There have been 1.39 million results received since January 1, of which 102,000 have come in the last seven days.

BVD eradication programme Manager David Graham in the Animal Health Ireland’s latest newsletter said: “The retention of some 25% of PI calves born in 2013 was a cause for concern.”

He said: “Culling is recommended for two main reasons: firstly, because only minority of PI animals will survive to salvage weight; but more importantly, because there retention on farm creates an enormous risk of infection spreading from these animals to susceptible pregnant animals in the farmer’s own herd or neighbouring herds, resulting in the birth of further PI animals in the following season.”

“With the impending start of the breeding season for many herds around May 1st, it is critical that as few PIs as possible remain on farm at that date to prevent a further cycle of transmission that will result in the birth of another round of PI calves in 2015.”

Graham was also keen to highlight the high level of compliance in 2013 by farmers with the requirement to tag and test all calves born. He said: “At the end of March 2014, only 8,800 (0.4%) of the approximately 2.1 million calves registered in 2013 remained untested.”

Latest BVD results from the AHI can be seen below:

BVD testing

Source: Animal Health Ireland (AHI)