Beef and dairy farmers can log BVD status for free before spring sales
© Tim Scrivener England’s beef and dairy farmers have until the end of March to upload bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) test results for free and benefit from premiums for BVD-free cattle.
The offer is open to BVDFree registrants passing BVD results through APHA, Biobest, CIS and NML laboratories.
Inclusion on the database allows farms to sell cattle with a known BVD status, which is especially important for those in northern England selling cattle in Scotland, where animals must be tested for BVD.
See also: Cumbria farmers challenged to be first county to oust BVD
Farmers can register at bvdfree.org.uk where more than 65,000 cattle records are searchable.
Livestock farmer and BVDFree chairman Bill Mellor said knowing whether animals are BVD free gives the vendor a premium and the buyer confidence in the health of purchased animals.
He said: “We can only eliminate BVD from the national herd if farmers test their animals and load their results on to the central database. By removing the cost, we hope this is the final encouragement farmers need to take part in this crucial scheme.”