Press Release:
Animal BVD status information is to be displayed on APHIS from 12/02/2018 by DAERA, in response to requests by industry, in a further effort to reduce the spread of the BVD virus.
From early February 2018 AHWNI BVD statuses from both the Voluntary and Compulsory Phases of the BVD Eradication Scheme will be shown on APHIS. This change will allow herd owners to view BVD statuses on APHIS on-line and APHIS herd lists, and should serve as an additional reminder of the BVD risk and actions that may be taken in herds where an animal has obtained a BVD status that is not negative.
DAERA is also introducing movement restrictions for certain animals that do not have a BVD negative status:
• For animals born since 1st March 2016 - only negative (BVDN) animals can be sold at market, sold directly to another herd or exported (including via an Export Assembly Centre).
• For animals born before 1st March 2016 - animals which are positive (BVDP), inconclusive (BVDI), dam of a PI (DAMPI) or offspring of a PI (OFFPI) cannot be sold at market, sold directly to another herd or exported (including via an Export Assembly Centre).
Moves which are not permitted cannot be processed on APHIS Online and any animal taken to a market when movement is not permitted cannot be sold and must be returned to the herd from which it moved. Farmers are being reminded to check the BVD status of previously purchased animals.
The application of these restrictions should provide an incentive for farmers to establish the BVD status of animals that do not have a recorded test result and to retest non-negative animals. Herd owners should discuss testing of positive or inconclusive calves, their dams and other offspring where relevant with their private vet. ‘Unknown’ status may mean that the animal has not been tested or an unsuitable sample has been taken: in these cases a button tag may be applied and an ear tissue tag sample submitted for testing.
Such testing will accelerate the disclosure of positive animals, allowing herd owners to cull them at an earlier stage, as veterinary advice is that PI animals should be humanely destroyed as soon as possible after receipt of an initial or re-test positive result. The prevention of movements of non-negative stock will also help to decrease the level of spread of BVD virus between herds.
These new measures will complement the current Eradication Scheme, intensify the drive to remove PIs, and so accelerate progress towards eradication of BVD.
More information about BVD can be found on the AHWNI website at:
Notes for editors:
1. Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) is a highly contagious viral infection which currently affects over 10% of cattle herds in Northern Ireland. The disease is spread by persistently infected (PI) and transiently infected (TI) animals. PI animals are the most important as they are infectious for their entire lifetime, continuously shedding very high levels of the virus. Initially they often appear normal but usually they become ill at an early age with most dying before they reach breeding age or slaughter weight.
2. The BVD Eradication Scheme Order (NI) 2016 requires:
• all cattle (including stillbirths and abortions) born after 1st March 2016 to be tagged with a tissue-sample enabled tag.
• all samples must be submitted to an approved testing laboratory.
• animals are not permitted to move from their natal (home) herd (except to slaughter) until a negative test result has been received.
• positive and inconclusive animals to be isolated in housing in their natal herd to prevent the spread of infection to other cattle.
• both buyers and sellers have a responsibility to ensure that animals are permitted to move before the move takes place.
3. BVD statuses which will be held on APHIS and the movement permissions which apply are as follows:
|
APHIS status |
Meaning |
Are the following movements permitted on APHIS? - farm to farm - farm to market - farm to Export Assembly Centre |
|
BVDN |
Animal has had a direct negative test result |
Yes |
|
INDNEG |
Animal is the dam of a BVDN calf so can be given indirect negative status |
Yes |
|
‘Blank’ |
Animal born before 01/03/16 where the BVD status is unknown* (no BVD status will be shown on APHIS) |
Yes |
|
BVDP |
Animal has had a direct positive test result |
No |
|
BVDI |
Animal has had a direct inconclusive test result |
No |
|
DAMPI |
Animal is the dam of a BVDP or BVDI calf |
No |
|
OFFPI |
Offspring of a BVDP dam |
No |
|
BVDU |
Animal born since 01/03/16 where the BVD status is unknown* – either because it has not been tested or the sample was inadequate |
No |
*Unknown may mean not tested or unsuitable sample and in these cases a button tag may be applied and an ear tissue tag sample submitted for testing.