Farmers call for mandatory BVD testing
86.3 per cent of readers voted "yes" to mandatory BVD testing in a Farmers Weekly poll.
Farmers would like Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) testing to be made mandatory across the UK, a poll by Farmers Weekly has revealed.
When asked whether BVD virus testing in newborn calves should be made mandatory in England and Wales, 86.3 per cent of readers voted "yes".
In Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, testing for BVD is mandatory. It is also set to be made law in Northern Ireland as early as March 1, 2016 if proposed legislation is approved.
According to a recent survey of BVA and British Cattle Veterinary Association members, British vets also feel that BVD is the "number one" disease that "should be tackled by co-ordinated control measures".
In a joint statement to Farmers Weekly, the BVA and BCVA said: “The clear objective is a nationally co-ordinated BVD-eradication plan, underpinned by [cattle health certification standards] principles, to monitor, control and ultimately eradicate this endemic disease and improve efficiency of the cattle sector.”
They add that such a plan could pave the way for a much-needed industry-led body responsible for delivering programmes across the UK to control endemic diseases.
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
