DAERA has been asked to notify NI farmers if BVD-positive cattle are being retained on neighbouring farms.

The proposal was put forward by Animal Health and Welfare NI (AHWNI), the industry body that administers the BVD eradication programme in NI.

In the Republic, farmers get notified of a biosecurity risk if a neighbouring farm retains BVD-positive cattle. The notifications have been dubbed “name and shame” letters.

AHWNI also wants other measures that are currently operating in ROI to be adopted in NI. This includes movement restrictions on herds that retain BVD positive cattle and targeted veterinary advice for these farms.

“Delivery of these measures is still under development,” a statement published by AHWNI reads.

The latest figures indicate that the number of BVD-positive cattle on NI farms has fallen to below 500 for the first time. There were 380 retained BVD-positive cattle in 264 herds in NI at the start of January 2020.

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