In 1998 VLA tested bulk milk samples from 1070 unvaccinated dairy herds with more than 40 cows in England and Wales. Of the samples tested 95% were positive for BVD antibodies and there was evidence of recent infection in 65% of herds. In 2006 Richard Booth and Joe Brownlie found BVD infection on 20 (59%) of 34 farms in the south of England (mainly in Somerset). Over the course of the following three years, 61 Persistently Infected cattle were identified on 16 of the 20 infected farms. BVDFree will provide the first real opportunity to get good regular up-to-date information on how widespread BVD is in England.
