Orkney declares BVD free status

The Orkney Islands have been declared the first part of Scotland to be accredited as free of Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD).

Chief Veterinary Officer, Sheila Voas.

The office of Scotland’s Chief Vet, Sheila Voas, confirmed that Government records showed the last Orkney animal infected with BVD was removed on March 4, 2020 – giving Orkney the accolade of being clear of BVD for two years.

A widespread disease throughout the world, BVD is regarded by vets as the most significant cattle disease in Europe and North America.

And while Scotland’s national eradication means that more than 90 per cent of herds are free from the disease, it has been recognised that the final phase to remove the last of infected cattle will be the most complex.

But with Orkney’s 550 beef farms being home to 28,000 breeding cows on 247,000 acres, the area lays claim to having the highest density of beef cattle in Europe, meaning reaching BVD-free status has been no mean feat.

Starting more than 20 years ago, a small group of Orkney farmers, along with a local vet and the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) veterinary laboratory in Thurso, were ahead of the national programme in designing a scheme to eradicate BVD from the islands.

By spring 2007, well over 80 per cent of Orkney herds had achieved BVD Accredited Status (earned after two consecutive clear annual blood test screens). Herd health improvement saw Orkney farmers rearing more and bigger calves from the same number of cows – and six years into the scheme, profits for some farms had increased by up to 30 per cent.