BVD Phase 6: New Mandatory Rules from 1 February 2026
Scotland’s Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) eradication scheme has been in place since 2010. Phase 6 of the eradication scheme started on 1 July 2024 with further new rules from 1 February 2026.
From 1 February 2026, new rules take effect to protect against the risk from calves of Trojan cows. A Trojan cow is a pregnant female that is not persistently infected (PI) herself but is carrying a calf of unknown BVD status. Any female that is in-calf when brought in to the herd could be a Trojan cow. If the dam was infected with BVD in early pregnancy, the unborn calf will be a PI and could cause a damaging BVD outbreak after it is born.
Phase 6 will introduce mandatory BVD testing for calves of all dams that moved onto a holding while they were pregnant. From 1 February 2026 there will be mandatory testing of calves of dams that were pregnant when the joined the herd e.g. in calf cow. Her calf must be BVD antigen/virus tested within 40 days, and the result uploaded to ScotEID.
The most cost-effective way of BVD testing young calves is by tissue tagging. It is best to tissue tag calves as soon after birth as possible, and to send the sample(s) to a BVD approved laboratory as soon as possible. Those of you who don’t routinely tissue tag calves are advised to keep a supply of BVD management tags for testing calves of dams that were pregnant when they arrived on the holding.
Untested calves cannot leave the herd without an individual BVD negative status for antigen/virus. They are assigned a BVD not negative status until tested BVD negative. If the calf is still untested at the age of 40 days old, the herd in which it is registered will become BVD Not Negative. The herd status will revert to normal as soon as the calf has an individual BVD Negative status or is reported dead.
Remember to comply with Scotland’s BVD eradication scheme rules all keepers of breeding cattle in Scotland must have their herds screened annually for BVD.
There are three testing options available:
- Check testing (for exposure to BVD)
- All calf screening (for presence of BVD virus in the calf crop)
- Whole herd screen (for presence of BVD virus in the whole herd.
Your vet will be able to provide further advice about which method is most appropriate for your herd and will also be able to advise on whether or not it is appropriate to test for exposure (blood test for antibodies to BVD) or presence of BVD virus (tissue tag or blood test for BVD antigen/virus).
Also from 1 February 2026, further restrictions will be imposed for non-compliant compulsory BVD investigation (CBI) herds. Herds that have not completed their compulsory BVD test within 13 months, will have their CPH publicity listed on ScotEID and will have movement restrictions applied to all ON movements. As soon as an approved vet has certified that the CBI has been completed the CPH will be removed from the public list and restrictions will be lifted for on-moves.
For further information regarding these changes or if you have any questions relating to your herd, please contact ScotEID.
Sarah Balfour, Beef Consultant, Sarah.Balfour@sac.co.uk
Posted by SAC Consulting on 19/01/2026
