Premium Cattle Health Scheme member resources

In this section
Sample requirements
Testing, submission and other forms
Members database
Price list and guides
PCHS newsletter
Turnaround times
Blood, milk, tissue tag and faecal PCR samples normally take 5-10 working days, with delays possible during very busy periods. Please help us to achieve turnaround times by making sure you have filled in the necessary paperwork.
PCHS member inspections: CHECS auditors will be phoning a random selection of PCHS members to arrange a farm audit – these were previously put on hold because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sample requirements
Each disease has a set of different sample requirements. Please download our PCHS quick guide for more information. All samples should be sent to St Boswells following Royal Mail guidelines.
PCHS blood samples – please use red top tubes. Samples should be dispatched to us within 48 hours of collection and refrigerated until dispatch
PCHS milk samples – must be used with preservative
PCHS BVD ear tissue samples – please keep tags in a cool dry place (DO NOT FREEZE) and submit in batches every two weeks to prevent sample deterioration
We have agreements with the ear tag companies Quicktag and Murray Farmcare, who will include the PCHS lab submission form for combined tag and test when you order tags. Caisley operates a 'Pay as you Go' system, so you are free to choose a lab. However, if sending it to PCHS you must use the Pay as you go form.
We also work with other tag brands, but agreements change from time to time. Please check when ordering that a tag manufacturer has a testing agreement with us. You can also buy tags independently and send them to our lab, but you must register your animals with BCMS before submitting.
BVD test results from other laboratories
We accept a limited number of test results from other laboratories to achieve first qualifying pass only. For clients who continue to use another testing lab for BVD tag and test for their own records, we advise that you carry out a check test via PCHS each year (please make sure you blood test five unvaccinated animals between 9-18 months of age in each management group, totalling at least seven animals) so that we can enter these results onto the PCHS database.

Members database
The Premium Cattle Health Scheme members database contains details of PCHS members' health status, arranged by seller, area and breed:
- PCHS Members' Health Scheme status (by seller)
- PCHS Members' Health Scheme status (by area)
- PCHS Members' Health Scheme status (by breed)
Should you require Breed Society information, we provide a quick link to their websites.
Testing, submission and other forms
General forms
- Pen Card application form
- PCHS submission form
- Johne's risk level form
- Neospora risk level form
- CHECS mandatory elements form
- PCHS Declaration
If this is your first health schemes test we require our membership application form to be completed and returned with the samples. We cannot process the samples without this form.
TB accreditation
- TB application form
- TB biosecurity compliance declaration
- CHeCS entry level form for TB accreditation scheme
To be completed annually for members of the TB Accreditation Scheme - CHeCS Entry Level Form For Entry Level Only
BVD tag and test
- BVD tissue tag declaration form (SRUC tested)
- BVD tissue tag declaration form (not SRUC tested)
- Caisley 'Pay as you go’ clients
Scottish BVD Eradication Programme
BVDFree England for PCHS Members
- PCHS member consent form
Give PCHS permission to upload your BVD accredited herd status to the BVDFree database (open to all herds in the UK)
Non-PCHS farmers who join BVDFree
Only results with a full UK number can be uploaded onto the BVDFree database. Results from SRUC Diagnostic system CANNOT be uploaded, and ScotEID is not connected to the BVDFree database. You must submit samples on BVDFree England paperwork.
Testing early
If you need labels for testing early please let us know via the contact page or call the PCHS team on 01835 822 456. We will check your records in our database to see if this is possible.
Price list and guides
- PCHS price list
- PCHS biosecurity guide
Read an overview of biosecurity rules for PCHS - CHeCS technical document
Read the Cattle Health Certification Standards (CHeCS) rules - Quick guide to PCHS accreditation
An overview of qualifying testing, samples and annual accreditation for beef - Isolation and testing guide
This guide is for isolation and testing when adding non-accredited cattle to accredited herd (includes Levels 2-5 Johne’s) - PCHS-covered diseases explained
- CHeCS Bovine TB herd accreditation and entry level guides
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