The BVDFree England Board has taken the decision to close the BVDFree England Scheme. The scheme will be ending on 31st July 2024 with the helpdesk closing the 9th of August 2024.
One of the main objectives set for the scheme during its formation was “BVD can and will be eliminated through a strong partnership of farmers, vets, industry bodies and Government working together with each doing their part towards achieving the common objective. BVD FREE supports and will seek to develop further industry initiatives to inform farmers and vets of the benefits of BVD control and to provide access to farm health planning and advice on BVD control.”
The co-design for the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway consisting of experts and industry and the subsequently planned launch of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway England – Endemic Control programmes fulfils this objective.
We would like to thank you for the support you have provided to the scheme throughout the duration and are hopeful of the success of BVD eradication going forward.
If you have any queries please reach out to us at help@bvdfree.org.uk.
The BVDFree England Scheme
What is BVD?
Bovine Viral Diarrhoea or BVD is a highly contagious viral disease of cattle. It is one of the biggest disease issues facing the UK cattle industry. BVD has been estimated to cost between £13 and £31 per cow in Great Britain. The national cost could be as high as £61M per year. (Bennett and Ijpelaar, 2005)
What is the BVDFree Scheme?
BVDFree England is a voluntary industry-led scheme, working to eliminate Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) from all cattle in England. The key to success is to identify and remove all animals persistently infected (PI) with the BVD virus from the English cattle herd.
The scheme is built around a national database, bvdfree.org.uk, which is searchable for the BVD status of individual animals and herds tested under the scheme. Famers must register with BVDFree to enable their herds’ BVD test results to be uploaded to the database. Individual animal BVD status can be found by entering a UK tag number, or you can search the database for a herd’s BVD status using the CPH number. This provides farmers with recognition, confidence and traceability when buying and selling BVDFree cattle.
The website is designed to be an information portal on BVD, providing relevant technical documents to aid BVD control and elimination. Please note that the BVDFree Scheme is not able to advise farmers on their specific BVD control plans. These should be discussed with your vet.
How do I become BVD Free?
We’ve created a simple 5 step process that you need to complete to achieve BVD Free status.
Contact your lab to upload any historic results in addition to any future results.
Ensure we hold at least 2 annual check test results. You can verify this by logging in.
Complete and submit a request for BVD Free status once you’ve met the requirements. Paper version available here.
News
BVD Legislation and Control in the UK
Whilst we are all working towards the eradication of BVD, legislation varies across the UK. Currently, English and Welsh schemes are voluntary and not supported by legislation, whilst schemes
Estimating the Financial Costs of BVD
BVD is one of the most important cattle diseases globally due to its high prevalence and wide range of symptoms that negatively affect productivity. Some
Ruminant Health and Welfare Group set Bold plan to eradicate BVD by 2031
In late 2020, the Ruminant Health and Welfare Group (RHWG) developed a “grassroots” survey to identify the disease, health and welfare priorities of professionals in
Supporting Farmers and Vets
We're here when you need us
We care, we take a personalized approach to each Farmer or Vet, and our team is never more than a phone call or email away. Contact us by phone, email. Browse a large selection of FAQs on our Helpdesk or raise a support ticket. We’re always here to help.
