Vaccinating his entire herd with Bovilis IBR Marker Live twice a year to protect against IBR (infectious bovine rhinotracheitis) is a critical part of the herd health programme for Tipperary dairy farmer Matt Ryan.
Matt and his wife Ita run a herd of 75 Holstein Friesians at Kilnacask, Golden. They have three children, Seán (16), Jenny (13) and William (7). The milk from the high-performing 8,000L herd is supplied to Tipperary Co-op.
Up to five years ago, he ran a closed herd, rearing his own replacements. When rented land used for rearing replacements was no longer available, he was forced to change his system.
This involved breeding all cows to beef bulls, selling all the calves at two to three weeks-of-age and buying in replacements as in-calf heifers.
Vaccination
On advice from his veterinary practitioner Folke Rohrssen of Cahir Vets, he immediately started an IBR vaccination programme. All cows are vaccinated with Bovilis IBR Marker Live in December/January and in June/July.
“Because of buying in replacements, I would regard this herd as high risk. That is why twice yearly vaccination is important. It provides the optimum level of immunity,” said Folke.
Matt Ryan has recently got access to rented land which enables him to start rearing his own replacements again. Most of the cows are being bred to AI dairy bulls this year.
Calves
He bred a small number of cows to dairy bulls last year and the replacement heifer calves born this spring got their first shot of IBR Marker Live at three months-of-age. They will get their second shot at nine months.
They will decide next year on moving the herd to an annual booster shot of Bovilis IBR Marker Live at 12 monthly intervals once the replacement heifers get their first and second shots at three and nine months-of-age.
The herd is also vaccinated with Bovivac S to control salmonella and with Leptavoid H to control leptospirosis.
Third generation
Matt is the third generation of the Ryan family to farm at Kilnacask, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, both called Matt.
His father, who is 88 and still active, started supplying milk to Tipperary Co-op in the 1960s and was runner-up in the National Quality Milk Supplier of the Year competition in the early 1980s.
Seventy per cent of herds vaccinating
Folke Rohrssen is a strong advocate of an IBR vaccination programme. He said that over 70% of all dairy herds serviced by Cahir Vets are now on a vaccination programme.
“IBR is unique in that after cattle are infected they become carriers of the disease. At times of stress, the disease can reactivate with the animal shedding virus and this can result in other animals becoming infected.
“It can also be spread due to contact with humans, contaminated materials, airborne transmission, contaminated semen or embryo transfer,” said Folke.
Symptoms
He said symptoms can often be vague and could be attributable to a number of diseases. The typical signs are high temperature, runny eyes and nose, a drop in milk yield and cows coming back in heat. It can also lead to abortion.
“There is a general malaise across the herd, especially after calving and cows are more prone to other diseases. After a vaccination programme is put in place, everything else tends to improve.”
Diagnosis
He said for dairy farmers regular bulk milk testing is an ideal way to monitor the disease. However, just because the test is clear today does not mean it will be clear in a few months.
He also advises blood testing in both dairy and suckler herds. He only does nasal swabs where there are suspect clinical cases. Folke is one of six vets in the Cahir Vets practice which also employs seven support staff.
In addition to providing animal health services to farmers in south Tipperary, he does a substantial amount of consultancy on cow fertility around the country.
Advice on vaccination strategy
The following is Folke Rohrssen’s advice on an IBR vaccination strategy:
- Calves should get their first shot of Bovilis IBR Marker Live at three months-of-age followed by a booster six months later;
- The recent granting of a 12-months immunity licence for Bovilis IBR Marker Live enables some farmers to move to an annual booster shot once the first two doses (spaced six-months apart) are given;
- High-risk herds may still require vaccination every six months.
He said farmers should get veterinary advice on the best vaccination strategy for their particular situation.
Further information
For more information, go to: www.bovilis.ie; or simply click here
