Animal Health Ireland (AHI) has urged farmers to continue to treat the risk of bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) entering their herds with the highest degree of caution.

The call comes as the disease showed up in fewer than 200 herds this year, approximately 0.3% of cattle herds.

This is down from 10,000 herds – 11% of all herds – that had BVD when the programme began over a decade ago.

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However, in April, 359 calves were confirmed to be BVD-positive, compared to 189 in 2024. AHI data suggested that the rise stemmed from a increase in herd outbreaks.

Voluntary

Testing began on a voluntary basis in 2012 before becoming compulsory one year later.

Counties Carlow, Wicklow and Leitrim have not had any herds test positive for BVD to-date in 2025, with three or fewer herds testing positive in counties Donegal, Dublin, Sligo, Waterford and Wexford.

The number of positive herds in Co Monaghan increased from 14 in 2024 to 23 this year.

The head of AHI’s BVD eradication programme Dr Maria Guelbenzu said that progress is moving “as quickly as possible”.

Guelbenzu stated that practices including the timely testing of fresh calves and solid farm biosecurity protocol remain key to further reductions in incidence.

“This progress has been achieved by farmers, their representatives, vets and industry working collectively and collaboratively to reduce incidence rates across the country,” Guelbenzu said.

“Farmers working with their vets and representatives, can continue to limit the risk of a BVD outbreak on their farm by practising the best standards of biosecurity, testing calves quickly for BVD and by sourcing animals, if required, from low-risk herds.

Contagious

“BVD is a contagious disease and must be treated with the highest degree of caution, especially in herds in the vicinity of BVD-positive herds,” she continued.

“Huge progress has been made over the course the BVD eradication programme with three counties free of the disease and many others trending in the right direction.

“If this momentum can be sustained, we will move quickly towards BVD free status.”