The risk of buying pregnant cattle
After a two-year effort to control Bovine Viral diarrhoea (BVD) in 2012 and remain accredited free for four years in a row, a farm in the North East of England became re-infected in 2017 by buying-in pregnant heifers. Three BVD persistently infected (PI) calves were born and removed within three months; however, the infection had a significant impact on the health of that year’s crop of calves that, aggravated by adverse weather conditions, were severely affected by secondary diseases (pneumonia and cryptosporidiosis). Click to hear Anna's story in our Youtube channel.