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2019 Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Programme for Beef Sector
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
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The Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Programme cuts cases of the illness in the national herd through the testing of newborn calves. The scheme provides incentives to cull infected calves.
The programme involves the culling of calves which are persistently infected. These are animals which have had an initial positive or inconclusive test for Bovine Viral Diarrhoea without a subsequent negative result on a retest. They must be removed and culled at a knackery, meat plant or abattoir to qualify for payment.
To be eligible for the programme you must:
- hold a valid active herd number
- take samples from all calves born in 2019 within 20 days of birth and submit them to designated laboratories for testing
- remove all persistently infected calves born in 2019 and have a date of death recorded on the Animal Identification Movement system
- remove all persistently infected animals born prior to 1 January 2019 and have a date of death recorded on the Animal Identification Movement system by 8 February 2019.
- strictly isolate persistently infected animals pending removal, with the dam if necessary, to avoid further transmission to other animals
You must comply with the conditions of the scheme and the Bovine Viral Diarrhoea eradication programme to ensure payment.
For animals born in 2019 the following payments will be made for each eligible beef breed calf removed and culled:
- €220 if the calf is removed within 10 days of the first positive or inconclusive test
- €30 if the calf is removed between Day 11 and 21 of the first positive or inconclusive test
No payment will be made unless all persistently infected animals born in 2019 are tested as required and removed within 3 weeks of their first positive or inconclusive test.
You will be sent an application form if you qualify for financial support based on test results logged on the Animal Health Computer System. The results are logged by the Irish Cattle Breeders Federation after they receive a report from the laboratory. Only one application form is required to join the programme, regardless of the number of persistently infected animals in the year.
Application forms must be signed and returned to:
BVD Financial Support Programme,
Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine,
Belview, Dublin Road,
Mullingar,
Co Westmeath.
The closing date for receipt of applications is 24 January 2020.
