Newsletter November 2001

HELLO AGAIN
Despite the Foot and Mouth crisis, Orkney Livestock Association already has some very encouraging statistics. Over 46% of members have had BVD screen tests done, and the present rate of disease is 45% of herds tested positive and 55% were negative.

We are hoping that there will be many more screens carried out when the cattle come back inside. A screen test involves the vet taking blood samples from 10 young animals aged between 9 and 18 months. If the virus is found to be present in your herd the result is positive, and if there is no virus present the result is negative.

You will find more information regarding BVD testing on the "Questions and Answers" fact-sheet enclosed. We thought this would be helpful in answering some of the most common queries we have received since the testing programme began.

ISLES VISITS
We were preparing to carry out our first special isles visit to Westray when the Foot and Mouth Crisis struck in the spring. We have now arranged to hold a public meeting in the Westray School on 27 November, 2001 following the Westray NFU AGM. A vet will also be present on the island on the day of the meeting and the following days to carry out screen tests.

We are hoping to arrange further isles visits to Sanday and Stronsay during the winter months. The secretary will write to all the farms with breeding cows on these islands to find out if they would like to be included in the screening programme. We will then arrange a date for a meeting, and a testing schedule for the vet.

COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY
Northvet are awaiting the arrival of a specialised Hi Health computer system, which will enable us to have a direct veterinary link with them.

When they have completed any OLA related veterinary procedures such as BVD screen testing or your annual Level 1 health plan visit, they will input the results into the database.

This will mean less telephone calls and letters!

CAMERA, ACTION !
A digital camera to photograph cattle will soon be available to OLA members wanting to advertise their stock on the Hi Health web-site.

This should prove especially advantageous for re-stocking purposes following the foot and mouth epidemic.

If you have stock available for sale now or in a few months' time, and you would like them advertised on the web-site, contact Karen Tait, the OLA secretary, in our office on a Monday, or by mobile any other time, and she will arrange this for you. This service is provided free, for the moment.

OLA Office, Unit 5, Orkney Auction Mart Ltd (Monday) 01856 878293

Karen Tait (Mobile) 07900 231 954

DAIRY CALVES
If you want to bring dairy calves into your BVD-free herd, our advice is to ask the dairy farm about their BVD status before making a purchase.

Blood testing for the presence of BVD in calves is not effective after they have received colostrum from their mother.

BVD ACCREDITATION
When you have qualified to receive BVD accreditation (after having two clear screen tests), you will receive a certificate from Hi Health stating that your herd is clear of BVD.

If your herd has achieved the above, and your chosen method ofbio-security includes a boundary fence that is at least 3 meters away from any neighbouring livestock, you also qualify for CheCS accreditation. Two-way electric fencing is acceptable as a boundary.

At present, CheCS do not include vaccination alone as a certifiable bio-security measure - Hi Health does.

BUYING ANIMALS FROM ANOTHER FARM
We remind you that if you buy an animal from another holding with an unknown status, you must keep it separate from your existing herd (quarantine) and get it blood sampled.

If you are relying on the vaccination programme for your herd bio-security, it is also important to find out if it has ever been vaccinated against BVD by any previous owner, as this would show as a "green" animal until the vaccine wore off, and would eventually turn "white". Therefore, you will need to vaccinate it annually to maintain the required level of protection.

IMPORTANT
Please consider the possible health risk to your own herd when you put your stock on the other side of the fence - especially if you do not know the status of neighbouring animals.

HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER OF OLA
If you are not already a member of OLA and you would like to join, please contact Karen Tait, Secretary, Unit 5, Orkney Auction Mart, Kirkwall, Orkney. Our membership fees are to be paid annually and rates are as follows:

Holdings with over 50 Breeding Cows = £50
10 to 50 Breeding Cows = £30
Under 10 Breeding Cows= £20

Please do not hesitate to contact the secretary if you have any queries.

You do not qualify for any financial assistance from Orkney Islands Council towards the cost of testing your whole herd for the occurrence of BVD unless you are a member of OLA.

BVD SCHEME - QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
While cattle - have never been exposed to the disease;
Green cattle - have been exposed to the disease and now have natural immunity;
Red cattle - are the main carriers of the disease and should be culled or strictly quarantined,

Ql. Why do you only need to test 10 animals to find out if BVD is present in my cattle herd?

If BVD is present amongst your cattle, it is easiest to detect in young cattle aged between 9 and 18 months. Just by testing 10 animals of this age category can determine whether you have a problem or not, as the disease is very infectious and they will have mixed since birth. Any red animals found is a clear indication the disease is present and is a positive result, as these are the ones that will infect others. If most of them are green this indicates that they have been in close contact with the disease, meaning that it is in your herd, also giving a positive result. If they are all white, this means that none of them have ever been in contact with the disease, and your screen test is clear (negative).

Q2. I have had one clear screen test. What more do I need to do to get the accreditation certificates?

If you have had one clear screen test, you need to have another clear screen test approximately 1 year later (your next batch of calves).

Our cattle testing programme is part of your Level 2 membership. To become an accredited member, you also need to complete your Level 1 membership that includes a health plan visit required to be carried out by your vet. The main importance of this visit is to inspect your bio-security provisions, such as fencing, boundaries, quarantine facilities, husbandry methods and buildings. This is an ideal opportunity to ask advice about any cattle health problems you may have. This visit will cost £50.

The most important part of the veterinary consultation is to identify the disease status of the herd in relation to the most common diseases, particularly scour and pneumonia. Arising from this initial consultation, an annual Herd Plan is agreed between you and your vet. This is going to have increased importance following the Foot and Mouth epidemic, and may become a statutory requirement for all farms in the future.

You will find more information in your green folder that you received as a member of OLA,

Q3. I have just had a positive screen test. What happens next?

You will need to arrange a whole herd test with your vet and Orkney Islands Council will pay the laboratory fees. You also need to contact Karen Tait, the OLA secretary, as she will need to print bar-code labels for the blood sample tubes. For this she will need your BCMS computer password and ID user number to gain access to your BCMS cattle details. This information is strictly confidential - so you don't need to worry about her passing your details on to anyone else.

You can contact Karen at the OLA office in the mart on Mondays (telephone number 878293), e-mail: karen.tait@ecosse.net, or by mobile any other day (07900 231 954).

Q4. I have had a clear screen test and I want to buy in some animals from a different herd. What procedure should I follow?

You don't have to do anything if you have bought animals from a herd with accredited status.

You must quarantine and blood test purchased or loaned animals of a poorer or unknown status, and receive the results BEFORE they enter your herd. The testing procedure for "quarantine" animals is quicker than a screen test or whole herd test i.e. these samples have priority.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THIS WHEN YOU PURCHASE OR HIRE A BREEDING BULL. Your vet will be able to advise you during the Level 1 visit.

Q5. I have just had a clear screen test - should I vaccinate?

At present, OLA and Hi Health rules are that you must either vaccinate all your white breeding cattle, or your fencing or boundary around your farm must be at least 3 meters away from any neighbouring livestock.

However, if you have had a whole herd test where some cattle have antibodies present (green cattle) and some have no antibodies (white cattle), you must either vaccinate all the white cattle or have a suitable boundary. The green cattle are already naturally immune, as these are the ones that have been in contact with the disease at some time.

Our aim is to create BVD free zones in areas or islands, and eventually the whole of Orkney. Once this has been achieved, no one will need to test or vaccinate, but any animals entering the county will have to be kept in quarantine until their health status is known. Shetland farmers have already achieved this goal.

Q6. Most of my breeding cows are green. Does this prevent the foetus they are carrying from contracting the disease?

Yes. Only white animals can contract the disease. This is most dangerous if a white breeding cow comes into contact with a red beast when she is in the first three months of pregnancy. This would result in the calf being bom red, and this could infect all your other calves and be a danger to your breeding cows when they are with the bull. Calves coming into contact with a red calf can cause all sorts of health problems as it weakens their immune system for fighting other diseases such as scour or pneumonia.

Q7. I hope to buy a bull at the Perth sale. What if he is a BVD carrier?

The best advice for bought in bulls is to quarantine them from your existing herd for two to four weeks, and to get a blood test done. If he turns out to be a "red", you can send him back under warranty if he was purchased from a specialised breeding sale, as the law deems him unfit for the purpose he was purchased.

OLA STATISTICS AS AT AUGUST 2001
TOTAL MEMBERSHIP = 205
SCREEN TESTS CARRIED OUT = 95 (46% OF TOTAL MEMBERSHIP)
POSITIVE SCREEN TESTS == 43 (45%)
NEGATIVE SCREEN TESTS = 52 (55%)