The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) operates the Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) financial support programme under the BVD national eradication programme.

Responding to a payments query by the Irish Farmers Journal, DAFM says “applications are being prepared for payment at present and it is anticipated that payments should be finalised in the next three weeks”.

The number of persistently infected (PI) calves born in 2015 and awaiting processing for payment under the 2016 scheme, which closed for applications on 4 March 2016, is listed by DAFM as approximately 2,048 beef and 1,437 dairy calf payments.

Providing an update on calves born in 2016, DAFM reported: “Application forms are issued to farmers when they have been identified as having a PI animal. To date, application forms have issued in respect of 1,400 beef calves and 464 dairy calves in respect of the 2016 scheme.

“Only one application form is necessary, regardless of the number of PI animals identified in the herd. The closing date for receipt of application forms in respect of calves born in 2016 is 3 March 2017. To date, 655 beef calf applications have been returned and 200 dairy calf applications.”

There is a payment of €140 for each beef breed PI born in a suckler herd that is disposed to a knackery, meat plant or abattoir within five weeks of the first test and €120 for each dairy breed PI born in a dairy herd. This reduces to €90 and €70 respectively where disposal is within seven weeks of the first test.

Lower incidence of BVD

Meanwhile, the incidence of BVD recorded on Irish livestock farms continues to fall. As shown in Animal Helath Ireland’s (AHI) programme published on their website (www.animalhealthireland.ie), the percentage of positive samples based on an initial tag test has fallen for the first 28 weeks of the year from 6,334 (0.34% of samples) to 3,246 (0.17% of samples).

The number of PI animals recorded with an initial positive or inconclusive test without a negative retest stands at 2,818, or just 0.15% of the 1,902,922 samples analysed to date in 2016.

This represents further significant improvements on the same period in 2015 where 5,830 or 0.31% PI animals were identified.

The number of farmers disposing of PI animals identified in 2016 has also improved greatly, with 216 herds retaining one or more PI calves alive for more than seven weeks after the date of the first test. This compares with 710 herds in 2015.

The rate of progress is continuous, but many industry personnel still feel that more stringent regulations for those retaining PI animals or compulsory eradication of PI animals is required to achieve the national target in the scheme of eradicating the disease.

The DAFM previously announced plans to inform farmers’ neighbouring herds retaining a PI animal, similar to the process that is in place for TB, but roll-out has been delayed on a number of occasions.

Increased post charges

The minimum cost charged by An Post to send bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) tissue tag samples is increasing from €1.25 to €1.30 from 21 July. The rate is the same for samples submitted to laboratories in Ireland and Northern Ireland and follows on from a 5c rise introduced by An Post on 1 July 2015.

AHI circulated a text message last week to farmers whose number is recorded for the purposes of the BVD scheme. AHI advises the €1.30 rate should continue to be sufficient for up to 10 samples, provided they are flat-packed rather than bulked up in an envelope.

For postage of a higher number of samples, their advice is to bring the padded envelope/package to the post office to ascertain the relevant charge. They say that An Post has advised AHI that any samples that are under-paid will be retained.

Advice on packaging and labelling also remains the same. Farmers are advised to place samples in a sealable bag and place inside a padded envelope.

The name, address and herd number of the farmer submitting the sample should be recorded on the top left corner of the envelope, while the text ‘exempt animal specimen’ should be recorded on the back of the envelope.