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Scotland introduces new BVD 'positive’ herd status
Cows
BVD is on of the most important diseases of cattle in terms of economic cost and welfare.

Status applies to herds that have a persistently infected animal

Scotland is to introduce a new ‘positive’ status to make the new Bovine Diarrhoea (BDV) eradication programme easier for farmers to understand.

According to Farmers Weekly, the Scottish government is adding the new status on 10 April to highlight that herds pose a higher BVD risk for those buying or transporting cattle, than “negative” and “non-negative" herds.


The ‘positive’ status will only apply to herds that have a live persistently infected animal. The herd will revert back to the current “non-negative” status once this animal has been removed.

Commenting, rural secretary Fergus Ewing said: “Eradicating BVD is an important step for the industry. Controlling the disease is centred on the identification of persistently infected animals and the timely removal of these animals from the herd.

"Such control measures are estimated to save the industry between £50-80 million over a ten year period."

He added that BVD is one of the most important diseases of cattle in terms of economic cost and welfare.

"That is why the cattle industry in Scotland, supported by the Scottish Government, remains determined to eradicate this disease from our herds,” he said.

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Pet Blood Bank announces twists to annual fundraiser

News Story 1
 Pet Blood Bank has revealed that its annual fundraiser, 'Around the Coast in 30 Days', will now include mini challenges.

It is the fourth year of the challenge, which asks people to walk, run, swim or cycle a part of a 11,232 mile goal.

However this year's fundraiser, starting 1 May, includes extra challenges throughout the month. Pet Blood Bank says these tasks will showcase its work.

The challenge can be completed individually, or as a team, with miles recorded on the participant's fundraising page.

Register here

Click here for more...
News Shorts
SCOPS updates anthelmintics guide

The Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS) group has published an updated version of its free guide to anthelmintics.

Know Your Anthelmintics, created to help farmers and livestock keepers, lists the available products for treating internal and external parasites in sheep and gives advice on how they should be administered. This includes guidance on drenching and injecting correctly and minimising the impact that anthelmintics have on the environment.

The new version contains information about products released in recent months and changes to older products.

Kevin Harrison, sheep farmer and SCOPS chair, said: "I can't count the times I've used the SCOPS Know Your Anthelmintics guide when making decisions about my flock, to remind myself which group a wormer belongs to or check other details."

The guide is available on the SCOPS website.