Reasons for formation of CHeCS

 

In 1994 the Ministry of Agriculture privatised their Cattle Health Scheme and since then have had no active part in the control of the four non-statutory diseases, Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR), Bovine Virus Diarrheoa (BVD), Leptospira hardjo and Johne's Disease. Since then other schemes have emerged in the UK and several European countries have developed control and eradication schemes for these diseases. It is important that the UK schemes work to consistent, high standards to achieve credibility at home and abroad and compatibility with schemes in other countries.

These four diseases can produce dramatic disease outbreaks in individual herds but are more likely to be insidious with underlying losses which are difficult to see and evaluate. Costs have been calculated in some UK studies - £63 per cow per annum for a dairy herd endemically infected with BVD virus, £4600 per year over 10 years for beef herds with BVD, £1870 per year for a 100 cow herd with endemic Johne's Disease.

The current emphasis on food safety, with the proposals for a Food Standards Agency, and the increasing need for products to meet consumer safety requirements will focus greater interest on cattle health. Concerns over the development of antibiotic resistance will push the industry towards other methods of disease control to reduce their use in animals. There will be an increasing need to maintain a high health status to reduce these risks.

Although CHeCS is only dealing with the four diseases at present the bio-security measures embodied in CHeCS Rules will prevent the introduction of other significant micro-organisms, including Mycobacterium bovis, Salmonella and E. coli 157, all current threats to the health of our herds and/or the safety of our products.

In Europe a number of countries have embarked on schemes to control and eradicate IBR, BVD Leptospira hardjo and Johne's Disease. For example, IBR control programmes are being pursued in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany mostly with some State support. In the Netherlands the control programme started in 1995 and within two years there were 5000 IBR certified free herds. Their stated objective is to free the entire Dutch cattle herd of IBR and to obtain recognition for this within the EU when they may stipulate requirements for the import of cattle to avoid the introduction of virus - i.e. they would seek to ban livestock from countries with a lower health status.

While not so far advanced BVD control is also underway in a number of countries. In Germany the government has recommended a set of guidelines with culling and herd bio-security as a major part of the programme to eliminate the virus.

Several Eastern European countries which have applied to join the EU are actively monitoring and controlling IBR, BVD, Leptospira and Johne's Disease and have strict controls over the movement of animals to reduce transmission of disease.