Cattle Bovine Viral Diarrhoea: Control, Biosecurity, and Welfare

Bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) is a economically and welfare-significant cattle disease caused by BVDV, with eradication achievable through systematic testing, removal of persistently infected animals, and vaccination.

Key Facts

BVDV infects cattle causing acute respiratory and gastrointestinal disease, immunosuppression, and reproductive failure.
Persistently infected (PI) cattle — born after in-utero infection — shed massive amounts of virus throughout their lives.
PI cattle appear outwardly normal but are the primary source of herd infection and must be identified and removed.
Mucosal disease — a fatal condition — develops in PI cattle when they encounter a different BVDV strain.
National BVD eradication programmes have successfully eliminated the disease in Scandinavia, Switzerland, and Scotland.
Antigen ELISA testing of ear notch samples from newborn calves enables cost-effective PI animal identification.
Vaccination reduces clinical disease severity but does not prevent PI calf birth — testing and removal remains essential.

Welfare Considerations

BVD causes welfare harm across multiple dimensions. PI cattle are destined for a shortened, compromised life ending in mucosal disease — an invariably fatal condition involving persistent diarrhoea, erosions throughout the gastrointestinal tract, and progressive wasting. Immunosuppression from BVD increases susceptibility to secondary infections across entire herds. Reproductive losses including abortion, mummified foetuses, and congenital abnormalities represent welfare failures for affected cattle. National eradication programmes demonstrate that systematic testing and biosecurity can eliminate BVD at the country level, delivering permanent welfare improvements across all cattle in the programme area.

What You Can Do

Support national BVD eradication programmes through compliance with testing and reporting requirements.
Test all newborn calves with ear notch antigen tests to identify PI animals promptly.
Implement strict biosecurity for cattle purchased from other farms, including pre-movement testing.
Advocate for mandatory BVD eradication programmes in countries where voluntary schemes have achieved low uptake.