Achieving a more targeted BVD Check Test

Scotland’s BVD eradication scheme requires all breeding herds to update their BVD status annually (every 6 months for herds using the Dairy Check Test). Farmers can choose between Check Testing (for BVD antibodies) and All Animal/All Calf Testing (for BVD antigen/virus). The Check Test suits some herds very well and when vets are allowed to implement it properly, it is an extremely reliable test for BVD exposure.

We know that it can be difficult to convince some farmers to test enough youngstock to give a reliable result. The law requires five eligible animals per management group (ten for the Dairy Check Test and when forced to test younger animals), the problem seems to be that “management group” is sometimes misunderstood to mean “whole herd”. Five eligible animals can reliably represent a small beef herd of 40 to 50 animals but relying on only five animals is likely to be misleading for larger herds.

We want to encourage cattle farmers and their vets to get better value from their Check Tests and have got some expert input from the BVD Advisory Group. NFUS has distilled the advice in to this useful flyer. Please share this with colleagues, clients and other contacts. We’d be delighted to see it going on to social media and into practice newsletters. 

With winter housing upon us, the Check Test season will be starting in earnest. We hope that the info provided helps you to achieve a more targeted Check Test.

Posted by SRUC Veterinary Services on 22/11/2024