The Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) Eradication Scheme phase 4: guidance for vets

Part 7 Changing A Herd Status

Where your client is given a not-negative herd status, you may, subject to certain conditions, be able to change the status to negative.

A veterinary surgeon may only change herd results if they have successfully completed the Scottish Government online training course. This course is available via the Scottish Government website at www.gov.scot/bvd. It takes up to two hours to complete, and you will be sent a certificate following completion. The course is free of charge for veterinary practitioners with a client who has a herd subject to mandatory annual screening.

To change a herd status, you must notify ScotEID by calling the BVD helpline on 0300 244 9823.

When changing a herd status, you must declare the following:

A. For follow-up testing.

• "I have conducted appropriate follow-up testing and no persistently infected cattle have been identified on the holding."

B. On the removal of a PI

You can only change the herd status following the removal of a PI animal in one of the following circumstances:

1. The PI was a brought in animal and has been kept isolated from the rest of the herd.

2. The following generation of calves has been born and no PIs have been found i.e. there were no unborn PIs on the holding.

3. 12 months have elapsed since the PI was removed.

Under one of these circumstances only you may declare:

• "I have conducted appropriate follow-up testing and identified PI cattle. The keeper has informed me that they have been removed from the herd."

With this type of declaration you must provide the official ear tag identity numbers of any infected animals you have identified.

You do not need to check if PI cattle have been removed - you only need to have been told by the keeper that they have been removed. The Scottish Government will check that they have been removed.

C. The final situation in which you can change a herd status is where samples have been sent to more than one laboratory or where veterinary interpretation is required you will be able to change a herd status to 'negative' providing that all the required testing has taken place. To enable you to do this you must have registered with the database in order to have access to your clients results and the details of which cattle are on their holding. Under these circumstances you may declare that:

• "I have checked my clients results and I am confident that they constitute the full requirements for a 'negative' status following a year or more of testing."