February 25, 2021 12:27 pm
Industry research in Northern Ireland has suggested the continued emergence of bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) in 2021 is evidence of the carryover of infection in herds from 2020.
In some cases, the carryover can be attributed to the retention of BVD Positive (BVDP) cattle and the probable infection of susceptible females during the first to fourth months of pregnancy.
During January 2021, there were 96 individual cases of BVD disclosed in 70 herds. Of these herds,
over three quarters (54 of the 70 herds) had the virus present during 2020.
A spokesman for Animal Health and Welfare NI (AHWNI) explained that while it is possible that there may have been other sources of infection affecting these premises, the picture presented suggests that there are a significant number of cases where the BVD virus continues to circulate on farms.