BVD calf fallen stock collection is one of the quieter but most important jobs in a herd health plan. When tag and test sampling identifies a calf as persistently infected with bovine viral diarrhoea, that calf becomes the main source of virus on the farm, shedding it in huge quantities for as long as it lives. National BVD eradication schemes encourage prompt removal, and the way the calf is removed and collected matters almost as much as the decision to remove it.
Martlands is a family-run, DEFRA approved fallen stock and ABP collection business based in Burscough, Lancashire. This guide explains how to handle a PI calf from positive result to collection without spreading virus to the rest of the herd.
Why BVD calf fallen stock collection needs prompt, careful removal
A PI calf is infected in the womb, usually when its dam meets the virus in the first few months of pregnancy. The calf’s immune system never learns to recognise BVD as foreign, so it carries and sheds the virus for life. Some PI calves are obviously poor doers. Many look completely normal, which is why tissue tag testing at birth has become the standard way of finding them. The official guidance on fallen stock and safe disposal of dead animals sets out the legal duties in full.
While a PI calf stays on the farm it is exposing other cattle every day. The biggest risk is to in-calf cows and heifers, because infection in early pregnancy can cause abortion, birth defects or the next generation of PI calves. Your vet will usually advise confirming the result and removing the calf as soon as practical. Where the calf is to be culled on farm, our farm and fallen stock collection service takes the carcass away under full documentation, with same-day collection often available.
Before the calf is culled – isolation and planning
Once a positive result comes back, isolate the calf straight away. A separate pen with its own airspace and drainage is ideal, well away from the calving area and from any pregnant stock. Use dedicated buckets, teats and feeders, and feed and handle it last in the round so that boots and clothing do not carry virus back to healthy calves.
Talk to your vet about the plan for removal and about retesting where that is recommended. Humane culling must be carried out by a vet or another competent person using an approved method. Arrange the timing so that collection can follow soon after, rather than leaving a carcass on the farm for days. If you ring us when the cull is being arranged, we can plan the collection around it.
Choosing a biosecure collection point
The collection point is where most biosecurity mistakes are made. A carcass left in the calf shed, or on the yard where cows walk past to the parlour, keeps the risk on the farm long after the calf is dead. Bodily fluids, faeces and nasal discharge from a PI calf all carry virus. The government also publishes detailed guidance on animal by-product categories and disposal.
Choose a spot on hard standing at the edge of the farm, close to the road, away from live cattle, feed stores and water troughs, and where runoff will not drain back into livestock areas. That way the collection vehicle does not need to come into the yard at all. Cover the carcass to keep birds, foxes and dogs off it. Our guide to safe on-farm storage of fallen stock goes into more detail on layout and covers, and the wider principles are set out in how ABP collection supports biosecurity on farms.
Category 2 handling for calves
Fallen calves under 12 months contain no specified risk material, so they are generally Category 2 animal by-products. They are collected and processed through our Category 2 ABP collection route. If the calf is collected alongside older cattle that are Category 1, the whole load is treated as Category 1, which is handled by us at collection rather than something you need to sort.
BVD is not a notifiable disease in itself, so a confirmed PI calf does not need to be reported to APHA in the way a suspected notifiable disease would. However, if a calf dies suddenly with signs that point to something else, or you have any doubt about the cause, speak to your vet before the carcass leaves the farm. Once it has been collected, the opportunity for a diagnostic sample is gone.
Cleaning down after removal
Removing the calf is only half the job. Once it has gone, muck out the isolation pen completely, then wash and disinfect it with a product approved for use against BVD at the right dilution. Clean and disinfect feeding equipment, or dispose of it if it cannot be cleaned properly. Wash down the route the carcass was moved along and the collection point itself once the vehicle has left.
Remember that the dam of a PI calf should also be tested, because a cow that is herself persistently infected will produce a PI calf every time. Cows that were in contact with the PI calf during early pregnancy may be carrying PI calves too, so your vet may recommend testing their calves promptly at birth. Our article on calf mortality and fallen stock collection covers the broader picture of young stock losses through the calving season.
Records that support your BVD status
Good records show that a PI calf has left the herd and how. Keep the test results, the date of the cull, the ear tag number and the collection paperwork together. Martlands provides a Commercial Document and a Waste Transfer Notice with every collection, and bookings made through the KoLeCt system leave a dated digital trail.
If the calf was registered, report the death to BCMS within seven days and return the passport. Scheme databases rely on tag results and on evidence that positive animals have been removed, so make sure the death is recorded properly through the relevant channels. These documents are also what an assurance auditor will ask to see.
BVD calf fallen stock collection across the North West
We collect PI calves and other young stock from farms across the region, from the dairy country of west Lancashire to the hill and suburban fringe farms included in our Greater Manchester fallen stock collection area. As NFSCO members holding Waste Carrier Licence CB/QE5406MT and Animal By-Products Licence APB/CCN21/373/8002, we handle every collection under the same licensed process.
If you have a PI calf to remove, or a run of positive tag results to deal with, call Martlands on 01704 776977 or contact us online. Tell us the number of calves, their ages and where they will be waiting, and we will arrange collection as quickly as we can.
