Tissue tag-sampling for bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) will have to be continued for at least another year. This was confirmed to the Irish Farmers Journal by Animal Health Ireland (AHI) chair Mike Magan. He said: “Due to the high levels of retention of persistently-infected (PI) calves on farms, the only option we could progress with is the continuation of tissue sampling.”

The decision was taken by the BVD implementation group following the presentation of a report commissioned by a German company to assess the best options to eradicate BVD.

The Irish Farmers Journal understands that two options were presented with both seen as unworkable due to PI retention on farms, with continuation of tissue sampling seen as being the most financially prudent.

Farmers are in the third year of BVD tissue sampling and while the rates of PI calves have fallen, their retention is preventing a move away from tissue tagging and hampering its eradication. According to the latest AHI results, there are still 3,788 herds classified as positive herds. This is significantly down from 4,701 herds in the corresponding period of 2014, but it still presents challenges for BVD eradication.

Looking at the number of positive samples, there were 5,730 calves classified as PI animals (by means of an initial positive or inconclusive result and without a negative retest result) compared with 7,336 for the same period in 2014.

If we look closer at 2015 data, the number of herds which have retained 2015-born PI animals has halved from 1,508 to 704. Reports suggest that disposal of PI animals has been helped by increased compensation and movement restrictions on herds while the terms and conditions of the Beef Data and Genomics Programme have also helped. BVD eradication is likely to be constrained in the absence of stricter measures.

IFA animal health chair Bert Stewart said there “needs to be a definite date given to farmers for when the scheme will end”.