Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) causes significant reproductive losses and immunosuppression. Scotland's national eradication programme has demonstrated that voluntary targeted schemes work.
PI calves suffer from compromised immune systems that make them susceptible to every infectious disease on the farm. They typically die before 2 years of age having spent their lives as ill-thriving, immunocompromised animals. Dams that produce PI calves have often experienced significant disease themselves during early pregnancy. BVD eradication removes this source of welfare suffering from the herd and prevents the ongoing production losses that BVD imposes on herd health planning.