As of the 21st June, a new funding package was announced by Defra and SAC Consulting.  £5.7 million will be available to cattle breeders in England to help tackle BVD.

BVD costs farmers up to £60m/year in reduced growth, poor health from pneumonia and diarrhoea, increased infertility and higher rates of foetal death.  Rigorous testing in the herd is vital to help to eradicate the disease from a unit, however it can be costly to blood test and vaccinate.

The funding is available through your vet, who would need to register with SRUC to have access to the grant.  This will subsidise the following costs including vet’s time on farm:

– One-to-one advisory visits by a vet
– Discussion groups to help farmers share best practice and tackle the  disease with like-minded people sharing the same goal
– Testing to see if BVD is active, with limited further testing for PI animals

There is also money available for diagnostic testing to investigate BVD at farm level, which would again be accessed through your vet.  In order to get the funding, the farmer must agree to take part in the wider project to ensure the diagnostic testing is linked to an active control plan drawn up between the farmer and the vet practice.

If you would like further information on this programme, please contact your local FCG office or Prue at pruewaterton@fcgagric.com