The proposed measures include movement restrictions on herds retaining persistently infected animals. .
ADVERTISEMENT
Animal Health and Welfare NI (AHWNI), the industry body that administers the bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) eradication programme in Northern Ireland, is pushing for the introduction of stronger restrictions on herds that retain persistently infected (PI) animals.
It has asked DAERA to notify NI farmers if BVD PI cattle are being retained on neighbouring farms. The so called ‘name and shame’ letters were part of a suite of measures introduced in recent years to the southern BVD eradication programme.
AHWNI said that these proposals are still under development
ADVERTISEMENT
AHWNI also wants to see movement restrictions on herds that retain BVD-positive cattle and the provision of targeted veterinary advice for these farms, both of which are also part of the southern programme and credited with bringing about a significant reduction in PI animals.
AHWNI said that these proposals are still under development, but farmers south of the border will be keen to see them introduced, as there have been question marks in the past on the feasibility of moving away from compulsory testing of all animals until progress is made in NI.
The latest figures indicate that the number of BVD positive cattle on NI farms has fallen to below 500 for the first time. There were 380 retained BVD-positive cattle in 264 herds in NI at the start of January 2020.
Register for free to read this story and our free stories.
This content is available to digital subscribers and loyalty code users only. Sign in to your account, use the code or subscribe to get unlimited access.
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
CODE ACCEPTED
You have full access to the site until next Wednesday at 9pm.
CODE NOT VALID
Please try again or contact support.
Animal Health and Welfare NI (AHWNI), the industry body that administers the bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) eradication programme in Northern Ireland, is pushing for the introduction of stronger restrictions on herds that retain persistently infected (PI) animals.
It has asked DAERA to notify NI farmers if BVD PI cattle are being retained on neighbouring farms. The so called ‘name and shame’ letters were part of a suite of measures introduced in recent years to the southern BVD eradication programme.
AHWNI said that these proposals are still under development
AHWNI also wants to see movement restrictions on herds that retain BVD-positive cattle and the provision of targeted veterinary advice for these farms, both of which are also part of the southern programme and credited with bringing about a significant reduction in PI animals.
AHWNI said that these proposals are still under development, but farmers south of the border will be keen to see them introduced, as there have been question marks in the past on the feasibility of moving away from compulsory testing of all animals until progress is made in NI.
The latest figures indicate that the number of BVD positive cattle on NI farms has fallen to below 500 for the first time. There were 380 retained BVD-positive cattle in 264 herds in NI at the start of January 2020.
If you would like to speak to a member of our team, please call us on 01-4199525.
Link sent to your email address
We have sent an email to your address. Please click on the link in this email to reset your password. If you can't find it in your inbox, please check your spam folder. If you can't find the email, please call us on 01-4199525.
ENTER YOUR LOYALTY CODE:
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
SHARING OPTIONS