A vigorous approach to culling and testing for PI youngstock has dramatically reduced BVD on Drumdreel Farm, Fife.
Speaking at a farm health planning seminar at this year's Dairy Event and Livestock Show, farmer Bob Mitchell said he had got on top of BVD in his herd through vaccinating all his cows and testing for and culling out any PI youngstock.
"I'm positive that the calves are huge benefits to my dairy herd. If you keep rearing calves as healthy as you can, you must be improving the health of the herd overall," he added.
Paul Burr, from Biobest Laboratories, said: "Taking advice from a vet and an expert in BVD can help you decide what is the best test for your herds.
"If you do nothing about it you are going to put up with losses every single year and a drain on farm finances. And if you are breeding your own replacements you need to look for infected animals and deal with it with a combination of vaccinations and culling."
dairytech