Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) virus vaccines in cattle

Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) virus is one of the most important viral infections of cattle. The virus infects cattle of all age groups, including the unborn calf. 

BVD can cause devastating losses in individual herds and has been estimated to cost herds and has been estimated to cost £58 per cow in an outbreak (ADAS, 2012).

Vaccination administered to breeding animals a month before mating can protect pregnant cows from BVD infection and prevent the development of persistently infected calves.

Three vaccines for BVD virus (BVDV) were marketed in the UK:

• Bovilis BVD contains inactivated BVDV
• Bovidec contains inactivated BVDV
• Bovela contains modified live BVDV

Inactivated BVDV is also a component of four vaccines that target pneumonia: Bovalto Respi 4, Rispoval 3, Rispoval 4 and and DIVENCE PENTA.

These are targeted mainly at stock under one year of age. These combination vaccines have not been included in the estimated uptake of BVD vaccines but are instead included in the estimated uptake of vaccines targeted at calf pneumonia.

The figures used to monitor estimated vaccine uptake are the number of doses of selected vaccines authorised for use in cattle and sheep sold in the UK each year.

These are based on wholesaler data collated by Kynetec and provided by MSD Animal Health.

Numerator

The number of doses of vaccine administered has been calculated by multiplying the number of packs sold by the number of doses per pack.

Denominator

Common industry practice is to give breeding heifers a primary course of vaccination before first service (between one and two years) and all breeding females over two years of age an annual booster.

It was assumed that only female breeding animals should be vaccinated and that the at-risk population was all female cattle over one year of age.

The primary vaccination course for vaccines containing inactivated BVDV is two doses of vaccine. To take this into account, when calculating the denominator for these products, the number of cattle between one and two years of ages was multiplied by two, then added to the number of female cattle over two years of age.

The primary vaccination course for the vaccine containing modified live BVDV is one dose of vaccine, so the denominator was all female cattle over one year of age.

Since 2020, the estimated uptake of BVD vaccination has decreased significantly from 44% to 30% in 2025. This is the lowest level of estimated vaccine uptake since the report began in 2011, for the fifth consecutive year (Figure 1). 

The estimated uptake is conservative as it is likely that a proportion of female cattle aged between one and two years of age are destined for slaughter rather than breeding and are unlikely to be vaccinated for BVD.

There are mandatory BVD testing schemes in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The Defra Animal Health and Welfare Pathway in England provides subsidised BVD testing.

Figure 1. Percentage of cattle vaccinated against BVD 2012–2025