Compulsory testing of newborn calves for Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) came into effect in Northern Ireland on Tuesday (1st Mach)

Addressing industry representatives at Stormont, agriculture minister Michelle O’Neill said, “The BVD eradication programme begins today with compulsory testing for bovines, including still-borns and abortions. This will help to ensure that herds reach their full health potential, which in turn will increase profitability for herd keepers, whilst protecting trade opportunities for farmers across the north.

“I accept some farmers may be concerned about initial costs to be incurred by testing their herd and removing Persistently Infected (PI) animals. However, there is strong evidence to indicate that the financial gains which can be made by herd keepers through eradicating BVD can outweigh the initial costs by a ratio of 10 to 1.”

The decision to begin compulsory testing was made in November 2015, though implementing the new rules was delayed until March to allow for adjustments in the industry and government bodies.

The agriculture minister added, “This legislation will ensure that the requirement on our herd keepers here to tag and test will be better aligned with those in the rest of Ireland and that this development will be a significant step towards our long-term aim of eradicating BVD from the herd in the north.”

Vets also welcomed the roll-out of testing. Seamus O’Kane, President of BVA Northern Ireland Branch, commented, “The introduction of compulsory BVD testing is a part of the joined-up DARD, profession and industry approach that is crucial for the delivery of a successful BVD eradication programme in Northern Ireland. We welcome the Minister O’Neill’s commitment to disease control and hope we will see similar successes as we did with our Officially Brucellosis Free declaration.”