BVD beef. Safe to eat?

Henarar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset
I have lifted two big bullocks 800kg with the loader for someone that done then at home, the chap that cut them up split them with a chainsaw, hang a sheet up from the loader so it don't fly all over the tractor its very sticky LOL
 

Chum

Member
Location
South Devon
I used to use an electric chainsaw with sunflower oil in instead of chain oil.

Worked a treat but a pain to wash it after. Just make sure you are facing away from tractor if its hanging on a loader! Don't want that over the bonnet and windscreen.

If its a calf you are doing the back bone will be fairly soft anyway, won't take a lot of sawing with decent butchers hacksaw or even meat cleaver and split it.
 

Sandpit Farm

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Derbyshire
Out of interest what is the process of testing to identify a PI.

Sure vet told me something like PI will test as negative or something like that.

PI animals immune system will not recognise BVD virus as something it needs to fight. You can therefore test for host response (antibody ELISA) which will be negative (but beware as that is the same result as a naïve animal)...

or you can test for the virus itself (either PCR or Antigen ELISA) which will be highly positive. Cheapest easiest way to do this is with a 'Tag and Test' tag or your vet can send a blood test.

Antigen +ve, antibody -ve = PI
Antigen -ve, antibody +ve = past infection, vaccine response or maternal protection.... but immune
Antigen +ve, antibody +ve = mid way through infection (transient infection) - rare as there is just a 3 week response.
 

Danllan

Member
Location
Sir Gar / Carms

Henarar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset
I sometimes wonder why we still have BVD as a problem in this country and then I read threads like this.

Whilst there is no specific human health risk this is diseased meat. Shoot them. Get rid. Follow your vets advice.

:banghead:
With you on that its a relatively easy one to get rid of
 

Recoil

Member
Location
South East Wales
I sometimes wonder why we still have BVD as a problem in this country and then I read threads like this.

Whilst there is no specific human health risk this is diseased meat. Shoot them. Get rid. Follow your vets advice.

:banghead:
Vets advice was seperate them and try and fatten them. That would mean them hanging round for another year or so (if they stayed alive that long). I'm getting rid of them quicker than that so thought I was doing the right thing.
 

milkloss

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
East Sussex
With an all vaccinated herd and isolated on farm could somebody explain the problem? If they are isolated and staying on farm surely it is managed risk? I would assume the rest of the herd has been exposed to the virus due to these animals already. I’m not denying bvd is a big issue but a lot of herdsmen are oblivious to it, the fact the op knows about surely puts him on the right side of the job, no?

Edit: read my post back and it seems a bit abrupt and ready for challenge. I am prepared to be corrected and hoping to learn(y)
 
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Expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive offer from July will give the sector a clear path forward and boost farm business resilience.

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Full details of the expanded and improved Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer available to farmers from July have been published by the...
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