The Netherlands are in the starting block to eradicate BVD.

The Netherlands have announced plans to launch a compulsory IBR and BVD control programme in 2017. Toon van Hoof, the chairman of the IBR/BVD steering committee, reports that the Netherlands is currently looking at the experiences of neighbouring countries Belgium and Germany, and is conducting research to determine which methods are the most effective and cost-efficient.

Belgium launched its compulsory control programme at the start of 2015. In its first 6 months, 2,130 carriers were detected on 981 farms.

The German compulsory control programme began in 2011 and has been extremely successful. However Germany suffered a severe outbreak of BVD type 2 in 2012 and 2013, which spread to neighbouring countries, including to Dutch farms.

Klaus Doll, Professor in Animal Health at Giessen University, is reported to partly blame the severity and spread of the German outbreak on the reduced use of BVD vaccines since the compulsory programme began. Eradication of BVD reduces viral prevalence and therefore the herd’s level of antibody protection. While vaccination could protect the increasingly naïve national herd, vaccine subsidies have been removed in many areas and farmers now perceive BVD to be less of a risk. The severity of this outbreak and the reduction in vaccine usage are reported to be increasing the amount of time it will take Germany to become BVD-free.