Talking-up Scotland

© Reuters

I wrote on 2^nd March:

SNP Cabinet Secretary applauded for his help as Scotland’s BSE risk now likely to be graded ‘negligible’ at least three years before England and Wales

Yesterday, we heard from The Scottish Farmer:

‘Four years on since testing for Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) became mandatory in Scotland’s breeding cattle herds the number of incidents of BVD infection and indeed positive herds is well and truly on the wane.’

I did wonder about putting the word ‘diarrhoea’ in a title. I thought it might repel some readers. Putting ‘Theresa May’ there draws them in by the thousands.  It turns out I’ve confused (age) the two BVDs so my sincere apologies to Theresa. I do however have an independent, well Independent, scientific assessment for Theresa’s other BVD. Her BVD score is a very high 25.

From the Independent newspaper on 2^nd March, we read:

‘Theresa May Scottish Speech: 25 different attacks on Scottish Independence that could just as easily be about Brexit’

If you read the article you’ll see it’s a very bad case of BVD.

Seriously though:

‘The virus, which causes a complex range of diseases resulting in poor reproductive performance, with more barren cows; abortions and the birth of deformed calves or calves with increased susceptibility to other infectious disease, can have huge repercussions in both beef and dairy herds. Introduction of the disease to herds for the first time can have devastating effects on the health of young calves, with a significant increase in treatments for disease and reduced survival. The good news is, 89.6% of breeding holdings in Scotland now boast a negative BVD status. Our BVD control programme is creating real benefits for the vast majority of our herds and the push is now on to finish the job and make Scotland the first country free of BVD within the British Isles.’

Readers might like to know that nearly all the cases are now in the South-West of Scotland. Now, the first case of BSE was in England and the most recent was in Wales. Those with at least some spatial awareness will know South-West Scotland is the closest of our regions to England & Wales. I’m just saying.

http://www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk/business_sales/15134627.BVD_on_the_wane_in_cattle_herds/

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/25-theresa-may-attacks-on-scottish-independence-that-could-just-as-easily-be-about-brexit-a7610051.html