The number of empty BVD tissue tags is turning out to be lower in 2019 than last year.

The number deemed to be empty when opened by a testing lab so far this year is 7,935. The number in the same 11 weeks of 2018 was 12,280.

Part of the drop is because fewer calves have so far been tested.

Nonetheless, the empty rate so far this year is 1.03% compared with 1.46% in the same early period of 2018.

There is no explanation as to why the empty rate is changing. The number of calves tested in the first 11 weeks of the year was 773,742, an 8% drop on 2018.

The number of positive herds is 155 compared with 251 in 2018

Meanwhile, findings of BVD continue to fall in 2019 under all the headings that are reported. The proportion of calves testing positive for the disease so far in 2019 is 0.03%, down from 0.05%.

So far, 235 calves have tested positive. The number of positive herds is 155 compared with 251 in 2018.

Finally, the number of herds with negative herd status is 75,003, up from 71,122 this time last year.