The Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue has announced €2.25 million in funding to continue Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) tag testing in the new year.
Under the funding, breeding herds will be able to draw down a payment of €2 per calf, up to a maximum of 25 calves per herd.
Announcing the new financial supports today (December 28), the minister praised farmers’ efforts over the past year, which brought the incidence rate of BVD down to 0.03% in 2022.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), the incidence rate of the disease was 0.66% in 2013, the first year of the compulsory phase of the eradication programme.
Ireland has not recorded a confirmed positive case since May 2021 and the department added that if the current eradication trend continues, the country should be able to apply for BVD free status by the end of 2023.
“The eradication programme has brought Ireland close to achieving the goal of BVD freedom.
“This reduction in prevalence has delivered benefits to all cattle herds, including better animal health and improved fertility, which, in turn, has helped to reduce antimicrobial usage and contributes to a more sustainable livestock sector.
“Notwithstanding this huge achievement, it is vital that everyone continues to play their part to achieve BVD freedom. Excellent progress has been made over the past years and we must intensify our efforts to ensure success,” Minister McConalogue stated.
Three conditions must be met to achieve BVD free status: animal level prevalence, the absence of a confirmed case for 18 months and a target of 99.8% of all herds free from the condition.
Currently, Ireland has achieved the first two of these conditions and is working towards the third.
Minister McConalogue also confirmed that a mandatory herd epidemiological investigation by the Targeted Advisory Service on Animal Health (TASAH) after disclosure of a BVD positive or inconclusive animal will continue.
Finally, he thanked Animal Health Ireland (AHI) and the industry’s BVD Implementation Group for their work over the course of 2022.