Newborn beef calf with its mother

BVD Key Messages 2023

The Irish BVDV eradication programme has made significant progress in reducing the prevalence of virus positive animals.  Currently:

  • 95.8% of breeding herds and 97.2% of all herds have Negative Herd Status (NHS).
  • 99.6% of bovine animals have a negative BVD status, with remainder mostly untested.
  • The number of BVD suspect animals alive at the end of 2022 is historically low, with those having been found in
    only 12 out of 83,000 breeding herds.

The new Animal Health Law (AHL) sets out the requirements for recognition of BVD programmes and BVD-freedom at EU level for the first time. An application for recognition of the Irish BVD programme was submitted in 2022 and the programme was officially approved on the 18th July 2022. This approval is a key milestone for the programme and a prerequisite for applying for recognition for freedom.

Click on the link below for the key programme messages for 2023, including measures to further accelerate progress towards freedom, with a focus on prompt testing of calves and removal of suspects, prevention of onward transmission of infection from positive herds and testing of animals of unknown status, including those born before the 1st January 2013, to maximise the proportion of herds with NHS

To find out more BVD Key Messages for 2023