Bovine Viral Diarrhoea herd restrictions to target herds with untested animals
Date published:
Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Andrew Muir MLA, is advising herd keepers that from 1 June 2025 Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) herd restrictions are being introduced for herds, with animals over 30 days old that haven’t been tested for BVD.
Minister Muir said: “BVD is a serious and highly contagious endemic disease of cattle, which significantly compromises animal health. I am pleased that most farmers appreciate the impact this disease has on productivity and profitability and are therefore acting promptly to reduce the risks to their herds. There are, however, a small cohort of farmers that are not testing all their animals for BVD on time, some of which may be infected with the virus, therefore posing a risk to their herd and to other herds.”
Minister Muir added: “No herds need to be restricted because of untested animals if herd keepers comply with existing legal requirements and ensure all their animals are promptly tested for BVD. I therefore urge all farmers to test their calves promptly and test any BVDU status cattle in their herd either by using a supplementary ear tag or through blood sampling carried out by their own vet. Only through the concerted efforts of all livestock keepers will we continue to make progress towards the eradication of this disease in Northern Ireland.”
The new BVD legislation, which came into force on 1 February 2025, introduced a number of BVD control measures in a phased manner. Initially targeting herds with positive animals, measures are now being ramped up from 1 June 2025 to introduce movement restrictions on herds with animals over 30 days old that haven’t been tested for BVD. These measures will initially be applied if there are 20 or more untested animals in a herd, with the threshold for the application of restrictions being reduced over the next 12 months.
Further details of BVD measures, how and when they will be applied and how to avoid herd restrictions is available on the DAERA website.
Notes to editors:
- BVD is a serious and highly contagious disease of cattle, which affects their productivity and compromises their welfare. It is mainly spread by persistently infected (PI) cattle, which are born with the disease, having come into contact with the virus in the womb. The virus can spread by other routes, including transiently infected cattle, which produce less virus for 2 to 3 weeks, after which they recover.
- Under the BVD Eradication Scheme Order (NI) 2016, herd keepers are required to sample all calves within 20 days of birth as well as any bovines that enters a herd without a negative BVD status. Animals that test positive must be isolated to prevent direct or indirect contact with other susceptible animals.
- Movement restrictions will be applied to herds with animals of unknown status (BVDUs) that have not had a BVD test. These restrictions will be rolled out on a phased basis over a 12-month period as follows:
- From 1 June 2025 herd restrictions will be applied to any herd with 20 or more BVDU animals over 30 days old;
- From 1 December 2025 herd restrictions will be applied to any herd with 10 or more BVDU animals over 30 days old;
- From 1 June 2026 herd restrictions will be applied to any herd with 5 or more BVDU animals over 30 days old.
- Keepers will be advised in advance if they will be subject to these restrictions and can avoid them if they ensure all animals within their herd have a valid BVD test result.
- Herd restrictions will prohibit all moves into the herd, and all moves out except to direct slaughter or for disposal. Where BVDU herd restrictions are applied, the same restrictions will also be applied to associated herds, which are herds linked on NIFAIS due to common disease risks.
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