Newsletter June 2003

SHOWTIME!
Can you believe that it is that time of year again? OLA members taking part in the BVD eradication scheme should be aware of the requirements when taking their animals to the shows, but if you are not sure, here is a reminder.

PREPARATION
White animals should be vaccinated. This is especially important if they are in calf.

Young calves can also be vaccinated for showing purposes - but remember to take a note of any calves that were vaccinated as they may show up as being "green" at your next annual screen test. Do not vaccinate all your calves - only the ones going to the shows.

If vaccination is required, remember that the initial vaccination is two doses which should be given three weeks (21 days) apart.

As we have explained before, the worst that can happen to an empty (not pregnant) animal is that they could turn from white to green if they come into contact with an infected (red) animal.

However, the most vulnerable are white in-calf cattle that have not been vaccinated, as if they come into contact with a red, the cow will turn green but the foetus inside her will turn red, and may be bom red, bringing infection into your herd. Green cattle do not require vaccination as they are naturally immune, but they may be carrying a red calf or have a red calf at foot, unless her status was known before going to the bull.

AT THE SHOW
OLA cattle do not require separate showing rings or a completely separate tie-up area.

If you have followed the above instructions correctly, you should have no worries!

AFTER THE SHOW
Keep your show stock away from the rest of your herd and neighbouring cattle for three weeks after the shows, as any virus they may have picked up will wear off in this quarantine period.

HOW DO I BECOME BVD ACCREDITED?
To qualify for BVD accreditation,

1. You must have had at least two clear screen tests from your last two crops of weaned calves.
2. You should have vaccinated all of your breeding stock after your first clear screen, or you must have a 3 meter boundary fence around your holding.
3. You must have a cattle health plan drawn up by your vet, which includes an inspection to check your vaccination programme, your farm boundary, quarantine facilities and bought-in animals. This inspection is called the LEVEL 1 visit.

The vets will let Karen at OLA know when they have completed Level 1 visits for OLA members wishing to become accredited.

ACCREDITATION CERTIFICATES
Accreditation certificates were supposed to be issued by Hi Health Ltd in Inverness, but no-one has received the genuine article yet! OLA has had to use "dummy" certificates in the past for publicity photos etc.

If you require a certificate, Karen will be happy to produce an OLA one for you. Ronnie Baillie used an OLA notice of accreditation for selling bulls in Perth, as does Northfield Farms for selling their own beef at the Farmer's Market.

IMPORTED CATTLE
OLA is aware of the fact that store cattle have been imported into the county this spring, and we have received a number of telephone calls and visits from members who are very concerned about the health risks involved.

We are not against cattle being imported, as long as they are quarantined and tested as our rules require. Farmers who have these un-tested imported animals may be putting their own herd's health at risk, and are also jeopardising the health status of neighbouring cattle.

OLA members who have bought-in cattle and have not quarantined and tested them, have gone against the rules, risk losing their status and are not eligible to sell cattle at OLA sales.

OLA sales are open to all cattle that are of a "known BVD status" at the moment, but we will eventually be having "BVD Accredited" sales.

We have seen advertisements for various cattle in "The Orcadian" stating "BVD Tested". We would advise you that if you are purchasing animals privately, you should request a copy of the actual BVD test results for the animals. You should also check the date as well as the actual result. It is important that BVD screening or testing is carried out annually.

SELLING STORE ANIMALS

As almost all of Orkney's farms are taking part in the BVD eradication scheme, buying store animals has a lower health risk than in previous years.

Cattle sold at traditional "mart Monday" sales do not have any health status attached, but you can be confident that you will not be purchasing a "red" infected animal if you buy from accredited herds.

If you purchase stores from herds that have followed the correct testing procedure i.e. annual screens have been performed and/or whole herd tests, these should be "white" or "green".

You should not buy-in cattle and mix them in with your permanent stock unless you quarantine and test them first. Bought-in store animals should ideally be kept away from your breeding herd.

You should also vaccinate your breeding stock to prevent pregnant animals becoming infected. It is against OLA rules to sell a known "red" animal at an auction mart, but they can be sent for slaughter.

If you need to know the status of the cattle forward any Monday, Karen will advise you - just call into the OLA office.

OLA BULL BANK

This has proved to be a very useful tool for members requiring bulls.

If you have a bull for sale or for hire, please contact Karen and she will add it to the bank.

How Does The Bull Bank Work?
If you are interested in any of the bulls in the bank, it is up to you to contact the vendor. OLA advertises the bulls that are available in "The Orcadian" and at the OLA office.

If you are looking for a bull, you may also contact Karen, and she will keep a note of your requirements and let you know if one becomes available.

The following bulls are available at the moment:

• Charolais, 2yo - Meason, Frustigarth, Shapinsay
• Charolais, 2yo - Harcus, Messigate, Tankemess
• Charolais, 2yo - Eunson, Braebuster, Deemess
• Charolais, 4yo - Sinclair, Eastside, Dounby
• Friesian, 2yo - Rendall, Skaill, Rendall
• Simmental, 7yo - Laughton, Sorquoy, South Ronaldsay

ATTENTION BULL BREEDERS

An OLA member contacted us recently to air a couple of his views to bull breeders:-

1. Ring the bull's nose at a young age.
2. Remove their horns.

These are both advantages if you are breeding bulls for sale.

JOHNE'S UPDATE

Following our launch of our Johne's monitoring scheme this year, the vets have reported that many more bulls have been sampled this spring.

Johne's is a progressive wasting disease caused by bacterial infection. Animals lose condition quickly and start to scour. There is no treatment or cure.

Taking part in the scheme involves the vet taking dung samples from all of your cull cows - so if you already know the animals that are to be sent to cull you can have this done any time now.

The more years you can prove to have had no instances of Johne's in your cull cows, the longer you can declare that you are monitored free of the disease, giving buyers increased confidence to purchase your stock.

Infected herds should avoid keeping homebred replacements - especially if their dam or sire was diagnosed with the disease. They should source replacements from herds that are clear.

FARMERS GUARDIAN

We were delighted with the OLA report that was featured in the Farmer's Guardian dated 2 May 2003. Thanks again to OLA members John William Stanger and Duncan Gaudie for sharing their experience of BVD with the nation!

Following the report we have received numerous calls from farmers and farming organisations that are interested in the scheme.

BEEF EVENT 2003
Karen was present at this year's Beef Event that was held at Thainstone, Inverurie on 21 May 2003. OLA and Orkney Auction Mart shared a stand, and although the trade stands were not as busy as she had hoped, she did make contact with buyers desperate to buy breeding stock from Orkney.

Many people, especially out-with Scotland, seem to think that Orkney is a bit backward and old fashioned. It is always of great interest to them when they leam that we have over 30,000 suckler cows in the islands, and that the average suckler herd has around 60 cows!

We are very keen for farmers to travel to Orkney to see the islands and the livestock for themselves, and would like to organise a bus-tour or similar some time in the future.

ISLES VISITS WESTRAY
Karen had a day out in Westray with our Westray OLA Board representative Geordie Drever of Trenabie, visiting farms that had "red" animals on the holding, to advise on what to do with them and to make sure their owners were not risking further infection.

Some interesting things were learned from speaking to the farmers there about their experiences with BVD.

Farmers who had kept infected animals in an attempt to send them to slaughter had found that most had wasted and died - especially soon after being turned out last spring. This is because stress can bring the disease out faster, so turning animals out or taking animals in may accelerate deterioration.

A couple of farmers said that cows that had given birth to infected animals last year, had a poor calf again this year, even though the cow itself was not presently infected, but was "green". The reason for this is that BVD damages the reproductive tract in breeding animals, and this can take up to 5 years to return to normal. This is why herds that are or have been infected with BVD may have cows that won't settle, abort or have premature calves.

One farmer had two byres of cattle - one was full of thriving beasts and the other had ill-doing dull haired beasts. Tests revealed that there was a red animal in the byre of poorer cattle, and not in the byre of thriving cattle. Keeping red animals amongst your stock will reduce the performance of the herd, as BVD attacks the immune system, making cattle more susceptible to infection with other diseases.

It is very interesting to hear how infected herds have been affected. As this is the biggest ever BVD testing programme in Britain, we appreciate any feed-back from our members, as this may be useful in future programmes elsewhere.

SHAPINSAY
We held an open meeting on Shapinsay on Monday 9 June 2003. All the farms on the island have been BVD tested or screened.

ORKNEY MEAT SUMMER GOLD
We had a stand at Orkney Meat's Summer Gold event that was hosted by the Wood family at Garson in Sandwick on Wednesday 11 June 2003. The aim of the event was to encourage Orkney farmers to produce more finished cattle in the summer months.

Most suckler herds are spring-calving, causing a shortage of finished cattle in the summer, and a rush in the back end, often resulting in a waiting list on the cattle being sent for slaughter.

Stewart Wood demonstrated that it is possible to fatten cattle sooner, through diet and good husbandry. Orkney Meat pays a premium on all carcases achieving their "gold" status, and this premium is increased further in June, July and until mid-August. (Telephone Orkney Meat 874326 for further details).

Finishing cattle to the high standards displayed at Garson may prove more difficult in a herd infected with BVD, as cattle use more energy when producing anti-bodies to the disease, resulting in reduced performance and weight-gain.