According to Animal Health Ireland (AHI), counties Mayo and Waterford have been declared PI-free this week. The two have joined Carlow in having no PI calves in the herds there.

Overall, there are just 1,438 PI-positive herds in the country, with 70,401 herds now with BVD-negative status. This is further progression from last year, when 62,473 herds were declared free of BVD.

IFA animal health chair Bert Stewart has welcomed the development.

“I broadly welcome the huge progress that has been made by farmers in getting this far to eradicate BVD from the national herd.

“However, the challenge remains how the industry plans to move away from in-herd testing to one of a national surveillance. Farmers have played their part in getting this far,” Stewart said.

The hope would be that farmers can stop having to carry out tissue sampling by 2019 or 2020.

After that, it is expected that there be an overall strategy to monitor herds without having to tissue sample.

What is BVD?

According to AHI, BVD is the cause of an important viral disease of cattle that is estimated to cost Irish farmers around €102m/year.

It is spread when a calf’s mother is exposed to the virus during the second to fourth month of pregnancy or if the cow is PI herself.

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