Tipperary brothers John and Jimmy Bourke, who farm in partnership, are the sixth generation of their family to farm since the early 1700s.

Long-term users of Bovilis Bovipast RSP since 2015, the Bourkes say the vaccine has delivered “peace of mind and less stress”.

Bovilis Bovipast RSP, which provides protection against both viral and bacterial causes of pneumonia (namely RSV, PI3 and Mannheimia haemolytica), has enhanced the health and profitability of their award-winning dairy herd in Rathcunikeen, Co. Tipperary.

“It’s worked exceptionally well for us right from the get-go,” John said.

"It’s a vital part of the routine that we’ve successfully implemented on the farm, which has improved how we rear our calves.”

John explained their approach: “When the calf is born, they get Bovilis INtranasal RSP Live in the first day for pneumonia. Then at approximately two-weeks-of-age, they get the first dose of Bovilis Bovipast RSP, followed by a booster four weeks later.

"That’s working as well for us now as it did in 2015 – if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Colostrum management is also key.

“Each calf gets between 3L and 4L of colostrum when they’re born. The calf stays in the nursery unit for five to six days, getting colostrum, and after that, they’re brought down to the calf shed, put in a pen, and fed transition milk with a 10-teat feeder.

"They’re then moved onto the JFC feeders," John added.

In 2015, the Tipperary brothers were calving 300 cows. Since then, they have expanded their herd to between 370 and 380 cows and changed the cow breed from KiwiCross to a high economic breeding index (EBI) Holstein cow.

“We’ve revamped our calf shed; we repurposed an old straw shed and added this onto our original calf shed," Jimmy said.

"We added sloped floors with lots of drainage and installed a mechanical ventilation system to supply fresh air into the shed.

"We removed some side sheeting and put Yorkshire boarding along with raised sheets and installed roller doors and new windows, all of which have made things more comfortable for the calves,” he added.

Both Respiratory Syncytial virus (RSV) and Parainfluenza-3 virus (PI3) can take advantage of a weakened immune system and invade the airways, damaging the lung tissue and making it easier for bacteria such as Mannheimia haemolytica to multiply.

Bovilis Bovipast RSP provides the broadest protection against Mannheimia haemolytica, which is frequently found as the principal bacterial agent implicated in calf pneumonia.

Vaccinating against RSV, PI3 and Mannheimia haemolytica plays a key part in providing the gold standard in preventative on-farm care to reduce the risk of a pneumonia outbreak.

“The vaccine has given us peace of mind. It provides a great boost to each calf’s immunity when they reach two-weeks-of-age,” John said.

Using Bovilis Bovipast RSP has also reduced the Tipperary brothers' veterinary treatment bill “quite substantially,” both farmers agreed.

“And again I go back to the peace of mind it’s given us. It really is hard to put a value on how much that matters,” Jimmy added.

The management of pneumonia on farm requires a multifactorial approach with adequate hygiene, nutrition and husbandry being essential in reducing the risk of disease.

Speak to your veterinary practitioner for advice on what vaccination protocols will provide the best results on your farm.