The latest results for the bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) national eradication programme published by Animal Health Ireland provide for the potential of a reversal in the higher incidence witnessed in 2025.

The number of BVD-positive calves identified as of week nine of 2026 currently stands at 93 head compared to 134 head for the corresponding period in 2025.

This equates to 0.01% of the 663,477 calves tested to date with numbers tested similar to in 2025.

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There has also been a small reduction in the number of herds on which these BVD-positive calves were identified.

Current results show BVD identified in 45 herds compared to 51 herds in 2025.

The number of empty tags found, at 4,793 tissue tags or 0.72% of tags submitted, is running at the equivalent rate as in 2025.

Support payments

Meanwhile the Department of Agriculture has announced a higher retrospective payment rate under its BVD Financial Supports Programme for beef and dairy herds for calves removed of farms in 2025.

The payment rate for calves of a beef dam and beef sire is being increased from €220 to €320 per head.

It is not known if this higher figure relates to all calves removed within 21 days of the first positive or inconclusive test result, as under the terms and conditions of the 2025 programme a higher payment of €220 was confined to calves removed within 10 days of the first positive of inconclusive test result and a lower payment of €30 if the animal was removed between day 11 and day 21 of the first positive or inconclusive test result.

A similar situation is present with calves of a dairy or beef breed born to a dairy dam.

The Department lists that the payment is being increased from €160 to €200 per head but it is not known if this includes just calves removed from the herd within 10 days of the first positive or inconclusive test result.

The Irish Farmers Journal has asked the Department for conformation and this will be detailed on farmersjournal.ie once clarification is provided and in next week’s paper. There has also been no confirmation as yet regarding the payment rate for the 2026 BVD Financial Support Programme.

The payment for 2025 calves eligible for the support payment will be made in 2026. Farmers do not need to take any action to avail of the higher support payment.

Farmer efforts

In announcing the higher payment Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon said: “The efforts of farmers in recent years in driving down the level of disease is acknowledged and appreciated.

“This has allowed me to amend the financial supports I can provide farmers within the existing budgetary allocation for the BVD programme. This can only be done thanks to the hard work of all involved in the programme in reducing BVD levels in our national herd since 2013.”