Animal Health Ireland (AHI) has outlined details of the 2026 Action Plan for BVD, including seven measures to further accelerate progress towards BVD-freedom while supporting farmers and the wider agri industry.
Speaking at an information meeting on Tuesday, 16th December, Dr Maria Guelbenzu, BVD and IBR Programme Manager, AHI, outlined the Action Plan for taking a proactive and strengthened approach to tackling Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) in 2026 and beyond. Areas addressed include: Pre-movement tests to reduce risk of spreading infection to other herds; Tailored investigations for herds that are positive for more than one year; Application of tracing tools in herd investigations to identify risks and act early.
Also discussed, were reinforced support for farmers and vets that are dealing with outbreaks to assist them in becoming disease-free as quickly as possible.
Develop and enhance Training and resources to help farmers protect their herds from BVD and tools for vets working with at-risk herds was discussed, along with promoting good biosecurity practices in herds at-risk so they can minimise the risk of BVD introduction.
Communications campaigns around breakdowns, including upgraded neighbour notifications by SMS and letter were also mentioned.
Over the lifetime of the BVD Eradication Programme, the proportion of BVD-positive herds has fallen from 11% of breeding herds to just 200 today.
BVD is a highly contagious viral disease that compromises animals’ immune systems, leads to reproductive losses, and creates long-term herd health challenges. Its effects can spread quickly and can be hugely costly to farmers and to the livestock sector as a whole.
SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC BENEFIT
Also presented on the day was an overview of the annual economic impact delivered by the BVD Eradication Programme. The report was carried out by business advisory firm IFAC with scientific guidance from Dr Michael Gunn.
According to the report, the total economic benefit to Irish agriculture is €184.21 million annually in avoided losses and reduced vaccination costs, against €10.3 million to the farmer.
