Dutch BVDV Control Program - Evaluation 2018 - 2023.

Abstract

Since 2018, Dutch dairy farmers are obliged to opt for one of 4 routes to achieve BVDV freedom in the national BVDV eradication program. This observational study evaluated efficacy of the total BVDV program using indicators such as number of persistent infected cattle (PI's), percentage of dairy herds with a BVDV-free status, percentage of BVDV-free dairy herds with evidence of introduction of BVDV and, as well as a cost calculation per route. The Dutch BVDV program appeared to be successful as the percentage of BVDV-free dairy herds increased from 59 percent at the start of the program to 89 percent by the end of 2023. The number of PI's detected each quarter, declined from 500 PI's in the third quarter of 2019 to 83 PI's in the last quarter of 2023. The percentage BVDV-free dairy herds with evidence of (re)introduction of BVDV decreased from 1.29 percent per quarter in the first year of the mandatory program to 0.25 percent per quarter by the end of 2023. In Europe, BVDV control program designs are often tailored to the country's specific situation e.g., prevalence at the start of eradication, risk profile of a country or herd, desired speed of eradication and available funds. These results show that the Dutch approach in which multiple routes can be followed toward BVDV freedom is successful.