What BVD does:
Bovine Viral Diarrhoea suppresses immunity. Its cost is rarely a single sick animal; it is the pneumonia, the scour and the poor growth that follow across a whole group.
Persistently infected animals:
A small number of animals are persistently infected and shed virus constantly. One PI calf arriving on a rearing unit can undo a whole batch, and it will not necessarily look ill.
Why do we screen before movement?
Screening reared calves before they move keeps a PI animal out of somebody else’s shed. It protects the buyer and it protects the reputation of every other calf we sell.
What it means for sellers:
A screened calf is easier to sell and worth more. It is a cost that pays back in the price and in repeat buyers.
Next step?
Ask your fieldsman what screening applies to the calves you are selling or buying.
