Latest news with #BVDU
Agriland
31-05-2025
- Health
- Agriland
NI brucellosis compensation rates for June 2025
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has published the brucellosis compensation rates for Northern Ireland for June 2025. Farmers are compensated for losses if animals have to be slaughtered under DAERA's brucellosis prevention and eradication control programme. The compensation payable, for reactors and negative in contacts for which notice of intended slaughter is issued in June 2025 will be either: 75% of the animal's market value; 75% of £2,632 (75% of £2,932 in the case of pedigree animals). Valuations on animals are carried out by a DAERA livestock valuation officer and, in the case of a disagreement over the DAERA valuation, a second individual valuation is carried out by an independent valuer. DAERA Separately DAERA has advised that from Sunday (June 1) bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) herd restrictions are being introduced for herds with animals over 30-days-old that have not been tested for BVD. New BVD legislation, which came into force in Northern Ireland on February 1, 2025, introduced a number of BVD control measures in a phased manner. Initially targeting herds with positive animals these measures will now be extended from Sunday to introduce movement restrictions on herds with animals over 30 days old that have not been tested for BVD. These measures will initially be applied if there are 20 or more untested animals in a herd, with the threshold for the application of restrictions being reduced over the next 12 months. Herd restrictions will prohibit all moves into the herd, and all moves out except to direct slaughter or for disposal. The Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir, has warned that in Northern Ireland there are a 'small cohort of farmers that are not testing all their animals for BVD on time, some of which may be infected with the virus, therefore posing a risk to their herd and to other herds.' The minister said: 'I therefore urge all farmers to test their calves promptly and test any BVDU status cattle in their herd either by using a supplementary ear tag or through blood sampling carried out by their own vet. 'Only through the concerted efforts of all livestock keepers will we continue to make progress towards the eradication of this disease in Northern Ireland.'
Agriland
28-05-2025
- Health
- Agriland
NI BVD restrictions to target herds with untested animals from June
Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Andrew Muir, is advising herd keepers that from June 1, 2025 bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) herd restrictions are being introduced for herds with animals over 30-days-old that have not been tested for BVD. BVD is a highly contagious disease which reduces the productivity and profitability of affected herds, as well as compromising animal welfare. It is mainly spread by persistently infected (PI) cattle, which are born with the disease, having come into contact with the virus in the womb. The virus can spread by other routes, including transiently infected cattle, which produce less virus for two to three weeks, after which they recover. In March 2016, DAERA introduced legislation which requires herd keepers to tag and test all newborn calves for BVD. This legislation is being implemented by the industry body Animal Health and Welfare Northern Ireland (AHWNI). At the end of September 2024, herd level incidence was 2.43% (for the 12 months from October 1, 2023) representing a decrease of 74% from the end of the first year of the programme. Animal incidence was 0.201%. On February 1, 2025, new BVD legislation came into force which gives DAERA powers to apply herd restrictions to herds with BVD positive or inconclusive animals, and to herds with animals of unknown BVD status. Today (Wednesday, May 28) Minister Muir said: 'BVD is a serious and highly contagious endemic disease of cattle, which significantly compromises animal health. 'I am pleased that most farmers appreciate the impact this disease has on productivity and profitability and are therefore acting promptly to reduce the risks to their herds. 'There are, however, a small cohort of farmers that are not testing all their animals for BVD on time, some of which may be infected with the virus, therefore posing a risk to their herd and to other herds. 'No herds need to be restricted because of untested animals if herd keepers comply with existing legal requirements and ensure all their animals are promptly tested for BVD,' the minister added. He has urged all farmers to test their calves promptly and test any BVDU status cattle in their herd either by using a supplementary ear tag or through blood sampling carried out by their own vet. 'Only through the concerted efforts of all livestock keepers will we continue to make progress towards the eradication of this disease in Northern Ireland,' Minister Muir added. The new BVD legislation, which came into force in February, introduced a number of BVD control measures in a phased manner. Initially targeting herds with positive animals, measures are now being ramped up from June 1, 2025 to introduce movement restrictions on herds with animals over 30-days-old that have not been tested for BVD. These measures will initially be applied if there are 20 or more untested animals in a herd, with the threshold for the application of restrictions being reduced over the next 12 months. BVD Under the BVD Eradication Scheme Order (NI) 2016, herd keepers are required to sample all calves within 20 days of birth as well as any bovines that enter a herd without a negative BVD status. Animals that test positive must be isolated to prevent direct or indirect contact with other susceptible animals. Movement restrictions will be applied to herds with animals of unknown status (BVDUs) that have not had a BVD test. These restrictions will be rolled out on a phased basis over a 12-month period as follows: From June 1, 2025 herd restrictions will be applied to any herd with 20 or more BVDU animals over 30-days-old; From December 1, 2025 herd restrictions will be applied to any herd with 10 or more BVDU animals over 30-days-old; From June 1, 2026 herd restrictions will be applied to any herd with five or more BVDU animals over 30-days-old. Keepers will be advised in advance if they will be subject to these restrictions and can avoid them if they ensure all animals within their herd have a valid BVD test result, according to DAERA. Herd restrictions will prohibit all moves into the herd, and all moves out except to direct slaughter or for disposal. Where BVDU herd restrictions are applied, the same restrictions will also be applied to associated herds, which are herds linked on NIFAIS due to common disease risks.
Agriland
20-05-2025
- Health
- Agriland
BVD restrictions ahead for NI herds with untested animals
The Animal Health and Welfare Northern Ireland (AHWNI) has warned that restrictions are coming for herds with significant numbers of cattle untested for bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD). From June, these restrictions will initially be applied if there are 20 or more animals more than 30 days-of-age present in the herd that have not had a BVD test. Any associated herds will also be restricted, and all inward and outward movements will be affected, apart from movements directly to slaughter or for disposal. BVD AHWNI said that animals that have not been tested for BVD pose an infection risk to other cattle as some of them may be infected with the virus. From December 1, 2025, the threshold for the application of restrictions will be reduced to 10 or more untested animals, and after a further six months the threshold is to drop to 5 or more untested animals. Cattle born before March 1, 2016 (the start of the compulsory programme) that have not been tested or had a BVD negative calf registered against them also have a 'BVD Unknown (BVDU)' status and need to be tested. 'These 'older' cattle will contribute to the BVDU count on which the application of restrictions will be based. 'Any dam that has had a test negative calf automatically gains a negative status and does not need to be directly tested,' AHWNI added. Restrictions on herds with BVDU animals will be lifted immediately on confirmation of a negative BVD result for all cattle more than 30 days old. Cattle with a BVDU status are restricted individually from moving to markets, other farms and abattoirs. AHWNI AHWNI is recommending that farmers take steps to protect their herds and avoid BVD restrictions being imposed, by taking action to keep the virus out in the first instance, by ensuring that all calves are tested promptly and by testing all BVDU status cattle Currently, restrictions are applied to herds that have retained BVD positive or inconclusive cattle for more than seven days from disclosure. 'Since the introduction of herd restrictions in February, there has been a marked decrease in retention levels, and this decrease is lowering the risk of virus transmission to other cattle. 'Critically, this is happening at a time when we are approaching one of the peak periods of susceptibility of pregnant stock. 'The benefits of these measures will be seen in the next calving season and will help industry progress towards its aim of eradication of the BVD virus in NI,' AHWNI said.
