DOMESTIC COLLECTIONS
As more and more breeders realise the value of their bulls, either home-bred or purchased, we have found that there is phenomenal interest in collecting semen on farm for use in England, Scotland and Wales. We are proud of this part of the business and now have a team of 5 specialists collecting semen from as far apart as Orkney to Lands End and from Narberth to Norwich, but I have one concern. Some of these bulls are far too good not to be collected on stud for the valuable export potential. Please do contact me if you think that you have a bull that might suit the export market and we can discuss the possibilities. However, the On Farm Service does provide a great insurance policy on valuable bulls by putting semen in the “bank” and also those IBR positive bulls that have failed to get onto stud as well. I have asked Gaynor Cumming, our Centre Veterinarian to tell you a little about protecting yourselves and your prize bulls against falling into the trap of vaccinating with the IBR Marker Vaccine.
IBR/IPV Infectious Rhinotracheitis/ Infectious Pustular Vulvovaginitis.
IBR is an infectious upper respiratory tract disease in cattle. Bulls that test positive for IBR cannot be admitted onto an EU Semen Collection Centre. This means that any semen collected from these bulls cannot be exported and this includes Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. This can affect the value of their genetics. Often the bulls test positive, not because they have had the disease, but because they have been vaccinated as a calf to protect them against pneumonia.
There are ways to protect stock whilst allowing these bulls to remain eligible for export. Vaccinating all females but not potentially valuable bull calves reduces the risk of the disease but means the bulls remain IBR negative. Using a vaccine/product that protects against the other common causes of pneumonia, but does not include IBR, also protects them but ensures they remain negative to IBR.
Some IBR vaccines – called Marker vaccines – can be used to distinguish against vaccinated and naturally infected animals. However any animal vaccinated using a marker vaccine still cannot be admitted onto an EU Semen Collection Centre.
It is, of course, advisable to discuss your disease prevention policy with your vet.
Gaynor Cumming MRCVS
Supervising Veterinary Surgeon
