BVA welcomes BVD enforcement in Northern Ireland

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) and the British Veterinary Association Northern Ireland Branch have welcomed the announcement that the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) intends to take enforcement action against herd keepers who breach the testing requirements of the Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) eradication programme in Northern Ireland.

Aurelie Moralis, President of BVA Northern Ireland Branch, said:

“The introduction of compulsory BVD testing in 2016 has proved very successful in moving Northern Ireland towards our ultimate goal of being BVD free. The majority of farmers are already engaging well with the process to control BVD, however the success of the eradication programme relies on the commitment and compliance of every herd keeper in Northern Ireland.

“We welcome this announcement and hope that it will motivate the small number of herd keepers who continue to keep untested animals to comply with the legislation. We encourage vets to remind their clients that BVD testing is both advisable and compulsory and that failure to comply may now result in prosecution.”