Northern Ireland Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Edwin Poots has today launched a consultation on proposals for herd restrictions to support the eradication of Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD).
Announcing the consultation, Minister Poots said: “BVD is a serious endemic disease of cattle, which significantly compromises animal health.
“Since the introduction of the compulsory eradication scheme in 2016, significant progress has been made in driving down the incidence of disease.
“However, the virus continues to pose a significant risk to the health of cattle in Northern Ireland.
“It also places a substantial financial burden on industry – estimated to be between £25 million and £30 million per year – and has wider societal impacts, arising from its contribution to increased greenhouse gas emissions and antimicrobial usage.”
The main source of virus is from persistently infected (PI) animals. These are animals that have become infected with the virus while in the womb and which are likely to suffer from poor health.
Minister Poots added: “I am pleased that most farmers appreciate the risk that PI animals present to herds and are already removing these animals as soon as they can following a positive test result.
“I find it disconcerting, however, that there are farmers that are not testing all animals in their herd and continue to retain PI animals despite the risks they pose to their herd and to other herds, maintaining the cycle of infection.
“Therefore, to further support the ongoing efforts of industry and protect unaffected herds, I propose to introduce restrictions on herds that retain PI animals or animals with inconclusive test results.
“My department is also seeking views on whether it should have the power to restrict herds that fail to test animals for BVD within a specified period.
“Herd restrictions have proved to be a highly effective tool in the fight against BVD in other jurisdictions like Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, and I am confident the introduction of this disease control measure here would be a major step towards eradication of BVD in Northern Ireland.”
