The open meeting, which takes place at Ripon Racecourse on Thursday 27 October, is the culmination of the Nidderdale BVD control pilot study delivered by EBLEX and DairyCo in partnership with RAFT Solutions Ltd, and supported by LANTRA LandSkills, the Yorkshire Veterinary Society, the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and the NFU.

The event will feature the leading international expert in BVD control, Professor Joe Brownlie of the Royal Veterinary College, who will give producers advice on measures to manage BVD effectively. Delegates will also have the first opportunity to hear the results of the pilot control programme.

“BVD is a growing threat to fertility, productivity and profitability for our beef herds, however until now it has been difficult to identify the most cost-effective and practical ways to deal with this issue,” said EBLEX north east regional manager Steve Dunkley.

“Our aim is to take the learnings from the pilot programme, which involves 10 beef and 10 dairy farms, and communicate them further afield to help all farmers manage BVD effectively.”

Vet Jonathan Statham, from RAFT Solutions, added: “This year-long pilot programme has given the farmers and the vets involved time to look really carefully at BVD and assess how farmers can work with their staff and neighbours to take practical steps to control this problem in their herds."

“RAFT Solutions has already begun rolling out the pilot model with the launch of a similar programme we’re running with Alnorthumbria Vets, which involves 20 farms in the Coquet Valley in Northumberland. We’re looking forward to comparing the results of the two projects.”

The free event, ‘BVD control for dairy and beef’, starts at 7.30pm on Thursday 27 October. For more information, or to reserve a place, call 01765 608489.