Compo of €200 for PI calves is sought

A COMPENSATION rate of €200 per calf should be paid to farmers who have more than one BVD PI (persistently infected) calves to help with the eradication of the disease over the next year or two, according to Galway Livestock Chairman, Michael Flynn.

He said that with the infection rate already dropping from around 0.7% last year to 0.44% this year, a more realistic compensation payment level would greatly help to speed up the eradication of the disease.

The programme to rid Irish cattle farms of BVD (Bovine Viral Diarrhoea) began last year with the new tag tissue sampling system coming into place.

Michael Flynn told the Farming Tribune that the current level of compensation being paid of €120 for beef breed calves [excluding the first] needed to be increased to €200.

“Overall, across the country we are in a good situation with disease control. Brucellosis has been eliminated from our national herd and shortly the Six Counties will also be brucellosis free.

“Since the wildlife control measures were put in place, the TB problem has also been very restricted and I think that with a little bit of effort and a proper compensation package, the BVD threat could also be a thing of the past very shortly,” said Michael Flynn.

BVD compensation is not paid for Friesian heifer calves with a figure of €75 given for Friesian bull calves – there is no compensation for a farmer who has a ‘single’ BVD calf.

According to Teagasc, farmers should exercise ongoing caution on the BVD issue to ensure that they get rid of it from their herds over the next year or so.

They have advised farmers to be wary of such trends in their herds as poor conception rates, an increase in the number of abortions, stillbirths and deformities, and calves not thriving.