Bvd Programme Has to Move Towards Final Phase of Eradication

IFA Animal Health Chairman Bert Stewart said the issuing of notification letters to farmers contiguous to herds that have retained PIs is timely to allow necessary precautions to be taken in advance of the breeding season.

He said huge progress has been made in the Programme to-date, with over 30,000 PI calves removed from the national herd since 2013, with fewer than 290 herds in total retaining PIs.

The IFA Chairman said the BVD Programme must start moving towards the final phase of eradication by reviewing the tissue tag testing requirement for the majority of farmers.

He said farmers have made huge investment in the Programme to date and it is now incumbent on Animal Health Ireland (AHI) to clearly map the path to eradication. This has to include significant cost reductions for farmers who are now entering their fourth or fifth year of individual animal testing at an annual cost of €9m.