Welsh livestock farmers sought for new BVD project

An industry wide initiative to eradicate bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) in Wales is looking for beef and dairy producers to help in the design of the project.

BVD is estimated to cost the sector between £14m and £36m each year.

A simulation model to track the potential spread of the disease has been designed by the University of Nottingham in partnership with Scotland’s Rural College.

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The UK-wide project has already received considerable uptake in England and Scotland, but engagement has been lower in Wales.

Additional Welsh farmers are now being sought to offer an insight into their own disease control practices on farm and complete a survey talking through different scenarios.

The model is being designed to aid eradication efforts by introducing incentives and penalties linked for the control and spread of the disease.

Dr Marnie Brennan, project lead at the University of Nottingham, said BVD is extremely costly to farmers due to the way it suppresses immunity, often resulting in cows not-in-calf or calves being born which are more susceptible to respiratory disease or scours.

However, Dr Brennan also believes the disease can be eradicated.

“The government-led activities now under way to eradicate BVD in Wales offer a unique chance to test the accuracy of the model against the results in the field,” she said.

Dr Neil Paton, lecturer in farm animal health at the Royal Veterinary College and a member of the projects advisory panel, said the project could prove very useful in predicting what outcome different measures will produce as the prevalence of BVD changes over time.

However, he confirmed that annual testing for BVD would also continue alongside the project.

Further information on the industry’s efforts to tackle BVD can be found online along with the questionnaire for farmers.