BVD Stamp It Out funding ending soon

DEFRA funding available in England for vets to visit farms in a bid to tackle Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) is due to end in June.

Through the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), DEFRA will currently 100% fund 1 to 1 on farm advisory visits by a veterinary practitioner to work with keepers of breeding cattle to tackle the disease on their farms.

Funding is available to provide on farm advice and for vets to work with 'clusters' of cattle keepers, to share best practice and tackle the disease as a group of like-minded individuals who share the goal of eradicating BVD from their cattle herds.

The funding will also cover testing for BVD which takes place as part of the process. The testing to see if BVD is active in a herd must be consistent with the most recent standards as set by BVDFree and carried out in designated laboratories. On a first come basis there is limited funding available for further testing to identify any Persistently Infected animals which might be actively spreading the disease (a PI hunt).

The control and eventual removal of BVD from our national herd has been a goal for many years, and this project sits alongside and supports farmers in registering with the BVDFree initiative. We strongly support the use of this scheme and urge anyone thinking of starting their BVD journey to talk to their vet or call the Stamp It Out scheme. 

The money is only available until June 2021. There is still time to get your testing and veterinary advice funded. To take action, please talk to your vet or contact the scheme on 01835 82 33 22.