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M A I N A R T I C L E
W
hen BVD infection was identified as causing almost half the
abortions and calf deaths in beef and dairy herds across
Orkney in the late nineties, a group of farmers with the help
of XLVets' practice Northvet decided drastic action was required. Their
ambitious plan was to get the backing of more than 80% of cattle owners
as part of a health plan that would not only control the disease but work
towards total eradication of BVD across the entire islands network.
Veterinary Surgeon
Iain McCulloch
XLVets Practice
Northvet, Kirkwall
Binscarth Farms
Remarkably, 553 farms have taken part in the
scheme since it started and nine years on the
results speak for themselves. The number of
animals detected each year as viraemic with
BVD (including Persistently Infected: PI)
dropped from over 100 per year to fewer than
10 over a four-year period (2002-2005).
Eight out of 10 farms still actively involved in
the BVD eradication programme now have
BVD certified free status with buyers on the
mainland prepared to pay a premium for
cattle. Clean herds have also seen profitability
increase by £50 per cow with many farms
experiencing a 10% rise in live calves. In
addition, low levels of calf pneumonia and
scouring have been recorded, reducing vet
and medicine costs.
Fundamentally, the source of new cases of
BVD infection can be pinpointed quickly
because of the close collaboration between
Orkney farmers and their vets and by detailed
recording through a farm animal health plan.
During 1999, a farmer led organisation was
formed - Orkney Livestock Association (OLA)
to coordinate the BVD eradication scheme
across the islands. Technical support and
advice at this time was provided by Dr Sandy
Clark and George Gunn of the SAC.
Founding OLA members also exchanged
information with Sweden's agricultural ministry
and farmers where BVD is a notifiable
disease and eradication is backed by
government funding. A few years later a
Cattle Health Certification Standards (CHeCS)
accredited scheme called HI Health was
launched and OLA became members. Today,
technical support and laboratory facilities are
provided by Biobest.
To help kickstart the scheme, OLA achieved
funding through Orkney Islands Council to
pay for laboratory testing of herds for the
first four years. This was after it was
demonstrated, through a detailed business
plan, the significant cost benefit to Orkney's
economy of working towards eradication
of the disease.
To secure funding and make the initiative a
success required more than 80% of Orkney's
farmers to join the BVD eradication scheme.
Each farm needed to draw-up a farm animal
health plan with their vet. Initially, this was
aimed at improving bio-security on farms as
there are very few natural boundaries
between farms on the Islands.
The next stage involved the annual blood
testing of 10 animals below the age of 18
months. The status of each animal is recorded
using a 'traffic light' system (see panel).
Where animals in a herd are found to have
been exposed to the disease (green), all cattle
in the herd above 6 months old are tested to
identify possible PI's (red).
Where viraemic animals are found they are
quarantined and, ideally, removed from the
herd for slaughter. All breeding animals are
also vaccinated unless a 3 metre gap, such
as double fencing, is available to isolate
the entire herd. Where farms did not follow
this principle, disease breakdowns were
often noted.
Where two annual tests show a herd to be
disease free, it receives a highly regarded
BVD-free accreditation.
Just 13 holdings never joined the scheme
and today Orkney can still boast that the
vast majority of farmers are committed to
eradicating BVD. Many have also turned
their attention to combating Johne's disease
where every animal over two years old in
the herd is blood tested annually.
OrkneyBVD
Eradication
11
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
WORKING
TOGETHER
FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE...