BVD
What is BVD?
Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) is a widespread, highly contagious viral disease of cattle, usually spread by direct cattle-to-cattle contact.
It has big financial implications to the herd, estimated to cost between £13 and £31 per cow in Great Britain. The national cost could be as high as £61M per year (Bennett and Ijpelaar, 2005). This is down to the cost to control and long-term implications to cow health and welfare, such as causing abortion, infertility, immunosuppression, failure to thrive and even death.
What Testing Options Are Available For BVD?
Herd Screening Tests:
Bulk Milk
These tests can be carried out using the bulk milk payment testing samples
Youngstock Screen
Test for antibodies and look for exposure to BVD.
Management and Control Tests:
Tag & Test (T&T)
Test every calf at birth as they are tagged.
Individual Animal Antibody Testing
This can be carried out on blood samples or using the milk samples taken at milk recording
BVD HerdCheck Surveillance Program - Bundled Testing Options
Dairy HerdCheck
Dairy HerdCheck uses a quarterly screen of milk bulk samples and 10 antibody blood tests.
Request a Quote
Once you have spoken to your vet about the testing option suitable for your herd, contact us for a free quote.
More Infomation
The above schemes is CHECS approved, uses the latest testing technology, is simple and reliable, with comprehensive reporting back on-farm through the web (Herd Companion).
All results are uploaded to the relevant national scheme (BVD Free England, Gwaredu BVD, AHWNI and ScotEID).
