Some 1,039 BVD neighbour notifications, dubbed name-and-shame letters, have been issued to farmers so far this year. Last year, just over 300 such letters were issued. Name-and-shame letters are issued to farmers whose neighbour is retaining a persistently infected (PI) calf on their farm.

In an attempt to drive down the number of retained PIs on farms, the Department uses a system of warning letters, herd restrictions and neighbour notifications.

Figures from the Department of Agriculture obtained by the Irish Farmers Journal show that in total, 1,339 name-and-shame letters have been issued to date.

Some 450 warning letters were also issued to farmers in 2016.

A total of 331 restriction notices have been issued to farmers to date this year. Some 1,300 herds have been restricted since mid-2015.

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