Animal Health Ireland

22/02/2026

After sharing what a BVD outbreak really meant on his farm, Co. Laois dairy farmer Robert Hovendon tells the full story — from the pressure and workload to the lessons he wants other farmers to hear.

It’s honest, practical, and worth the time.

🎥 Watch the full interview now.

20/02/2026

Part 3 – Act first. Think afterwards.

In the final stretch of BVD eradication, speed matters more than anything.

Co. Laois dairy farmer Robert Hovendon has one clear message from hard experience:

If a BVD result comes back positive — don’t think. Take the calf out of the pen and isolate immediately.

Waiting only allows infection to spread, increasing workload, risk, and cost.

Ireland is within reach of BVD eradication. Rapid action is how we get it over the line.

As Robert says: “Act and think afterwards — you might just save yourself a lot of work.”

Full interview available on Sunday.

18/02/2026

BVD control programmes are designed to reduce risk, but they rely on swift ex*****on.

Robert Hovendon’s experience shows what happens when infection is allowed to persist on a farm: workload escalates rapidly, resources are stretched, and the risk of further transmission increases.

His advice to other farmers is simple: positive calves must be removed as early as possible to protect both individual herds and the wider national programme.

As Ireland nears eradication, maintaining system integrity through compliance, monitoring, and timely intervention is critical.

17/02/2026

Early Lactation mastitis: Why the first 60 days matters

With spring calving well under way, new guidance from AHI highlights how mastitis in the first 60 days after calving can permanently reduce Milk yield, especially in heifers.

The new guide "The First 60 Days - Make Every Day Count" focuses on:

✅️ Early detection

✅️ Prompt treatment

✅️ Preventing spread between cows

Simple steps like early milk recording, CMT testing, sterile sampling and good hygiene can make a lifetime difference to cow performance.

Full guide available on: https://animalhealthireland.ie/publications/first-60-days-tips-for-preventing-early-lactation-mastitis/

16/02/2026

The farmer pain behind BVD.

After years of being clear, Co. Laois dairy farmer Robert Hovendon was hit with a major BVD outbreak last year.

The emotional toll.
The financial strain.
The impact on his herd.

The scars are still raw, but he’s sharing his story so others don’t have to live it.
Ireland is at the very end of the BVD eradication journey. We’ve come too far to let this slip.

Let’s finish the job, together!

Part 1 of 3 | Full story continues Wednesday

05/02/2026

On the 26th February 2026, will hold the second online EU webinar, with the theme: Exchanging knowledge on sustainable worm control via the SPARC Knowledge Exchange Platform and webGIS.

Topics include:
• An overview of practice abstracts, videos and podcasts and how these are used to train students, vets and farmers in sustainable worm control.
• The SPARC WEBGIS - a European geographical information platform on worm infection, anthelmintics, resistance and designed more for policy makers and other decision makers.
• Designer Parasite Management – Featuring Irish Ambassador Bruce Thompson

More details at www.AnimalHealthIreland.ie/ParasiteControl

05/02/2026

03/02/2026

Ireland is closer than ever to BVD freedom, with just around 200 herds affected nationwide at the end of 2025. But as calving season ramps up, acting fast has never been more important. This calving season, AHI is urging farmers to follow four simple steps:

Tag. Bag. Test. Remove.

• Tag calves promptly at birth
• Bag the tissue sample correctly
• Test samples at the lab as soon as possible after tagging
• Remove any positive calves immediately
Simple, but effective biosecurity measures are easy to implement and can protect your herd and your neighbours from BVD outbreaks this year.

Let’s protect the progress made and finish the job together.

30/01/2026

As part of the Sound Cow Innovation Programme (SCIP) EIP, Animal Health Ireland, Teagasc and University College Dublin are pleased to highlight a Teagasc Walsh Scholarship PhD opportunity.

The SCIP programme works closely with a cohort of dairy farmers to demonstrate a coordinated, practical and locally delivered approach to managing dairy cow lameness and promoting high standards of animal welfare. Aligned with this wider programme of work, Teagasc, in collaboration with University College Dublin, is offering a funded PhD opportunity linked to SCIP. The research will support the ongoing development and evaluation of approaches to lameness control on Irish dairy farms.

PhD application deadline: 25 February 2026
Proposed start date: May 2026

Further details on the scholarship are available at www.animalhealthireland.ie/careers/

27/01/2026

BVD Eradication is closer than ever - Let's Finish the Job!

As spring calving gets under way, Animal Health Ireland (AHI) is urging farmers and the wider agri-industry to work together to finish the job on Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD).

Thanks to the commitment of farmers over the past decade, infected breeding herds have fallen from over 11% at peak to just ~200 herds nationwide in 2025. That progress is huge - and it puts ireland within touching distance of BVD freedom.

But now, speed is critical.

AHI is encouraging immediate action through four simple but vital steps:

• Tag calves promptly at birth

• Bag the samples correctly

• Test as soon as possible

• Remove any virus positive calves immediately

Early Action protects individual herds, reduces onward spread and safeguard the wider cattle population.

Tag. Bag. Test. Remove. Let's finish the job - together!

26/01/2026

In conjunction with the 2026 Spring CalfCare Events, Animal Health Ireland is hosting a FREE live webinar for everyone involved in calf rearing.

📅 Wednesday, 28th January 2026
⏰ 1.00pm

Topics include:
• Managing the cow around calving
• Importance of colostrum and feeding
• Scour and pneumonia prevention

Plus, a panel discussion with leading calf rearing experts — practical insights you can use straight away.

Register for free: www.AnimalHealthIreland.ie/CalfCare

23/01/2026

Our spring CalfCare event series has now wrapped up, with great attendance and really strong engagement across all events 🙌

A huge thank you to all of our stakeholders for their support in delivering the series, and to Feed For Growth for their continued commitment to improving calf health outcomes and helping deliver key messages to farmers at ground level.

We’d also like to thank the host farmers who opened their farms and shared their experience, everyone who attended and took part in the discussions, those who provided refreshments, and all involved behind the scenes in making the events run so smoothly and successfully.

The CalfCare series once again showed the power of collaboration across the sector and a shared focus on driving practical, positive change on Irish farms.

To conclude the series, we will be hosting a free calf-rearing webinar on Wednesday, 28th January, at 1.00pm. Further details available at www.animalhealthireland.ie/calfcare

Photo Credits: Donal O'Leary; Clive Wasson; AHI