Recent figures from the NI BVD Programme indicate that positive animals need to be disposed of quickly if significant progress is to be made towards eradication. Of the animals with an initial positive test result in the first year of the programme, approximately 40% have been retained for longer than six weeks, posing a risk to their herds and to neighbouring herds. Additional measures are now necessary to accelerate the disposal of BVD-infected animals.

The presence of BVD in NI is thought to cost in the region of £20m to £30m each year to industry. As well as the direct advantages to farmers, there are a range of other benefits to be gained from the eradication of BVD, in terms of reduced antibiotic usage on farms, reduced animal-related greenhouse gas emissions and increased awareness of biosecurity. Any extension to the time taken to reach eradication of BVD will delay the realisation of these benefits to both industry and society.

The BVD Eradication Scheme is industry-led, with DAERA support, and primarily financed by farmers. Industry is keen to reach the goal quickly, through a ‘‘short and sharp’’ programme. However, the retention of positive animals is a major issue. In addition, the level of uptake of the Financial Incentivisation Scheme to support the removal of positive calves has been lower than expected.

The positive test rate up to the end of May this year of 0.65% mirrors the annual prevalence of 0.66% seen in calves in the Republic of Ireland in 2013, the first year of its compulsory programme. The Irish programme has achieved a marked reduction in the disease to a current animal level of 0.09%. This indicates that there are aspects of their approach that, if applied to the NI programme, could help to decrease disease levels.

Following recommendations from the all-island technical working group, herd restrictions and neighbour notifications were introduced in the Republic of Ireland in 2016. Irish authorities automatically restrict herds that retain persistently infected (PI) animals for more than five weeks after the date of the initial test and these restrictions are lifted automatically following removal of the PI animals. Neighbouring herds are notified and advised to take appropriate biosecurity measures to minimise the risk of accidental introduction of infection. Financial supports have also been ongoing.

While farmer compliance with the NI scheme has been excellent overall, there is a need to address the issue of PI retention by a small but significant number of individuals. It is logical that programme development should be directed towards measures that have been shown to improve the speed of removal of positive animals. These include the imposition of movement restrictions for those herds retaining PIs, the issuing of neighbour biosecurity notifications, ongoing financial incentives to remove positive animals and support for the provision of targeted veterinary advice. Discussions are currently ongoing on how best to implement possible measures.

The continual aim of the programme is to remove the BVD virus from the NI herd in a timely manner to meet industry needs and to maintain disease freedom into the future.

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Map: rate of PI births halves in 2017 in Republic