Specialist training to eradicate BVD

Vets are being offered specialist training in a bid to eradicate bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) from Scotland’s cattle herds.

The Scottish Government has invested £3,000 to provide reduced cost training to vets wishing to attend a professional development day in Perth on March 10.

The event is organised by the British Cattle Veterinary Association, and will help delegates create strategies to tackle BVD infection with farmers and understand the Scottish BVD Eradication Scheme. The event will cover virology, diagnostics and disease control, as well as looking from a farmers’ perspective and focussing on dairy and beef. Speakers include newly-elected NFUS President Nigel Miller, George Caldow of SAC, Paul Burr of Biobest and BVD expert Peter Nettleton.

BVD is present in around 40 per cent of herds in Scotland and causes abortion, infertility, failure to thrive and often death.

Ridding Scotland of BVD would generate an additional £50 million to £80 million for the industry over ten years, For the average dairy business this would be worth £16,000 per year and around £2,000 to the average beef business.

Background

Scottish Government funding will cover 85 per cent of the course fees with vets asked to pay £36 of the original £245. The funding is in addition to a £400,000 commitment by the Scottish Government to eradicate BVD.


The course can be booked through the BCVA website at www.bcva.eu or by calling 01452 260125.

Further information on BVD, including details of a consultation on mandatory screening, can be found at www.scotland.gov.uk/bvd.

The Scottish BVD Eradication Scheme is in three stages:

Phase one began in September and offered subsidised screening tests for farmers of breeding herds. The Scottish Government subsidised testing in each herd by £36 and provided a further £72 for follow up tests and advice in positive herds.

An annual testing requirement on all cattle herds will be introduced from September 2011 and, from September 2012, all cattle identified as Persistently Infected will need to be housed in secure facilities or slaughtered.

Dependent on how the disease situation progresses, a final phase could see movement restrictions introduced on herds that failed to tackle their BVD problem.