A £5.7 million project to address Bovine Viral Diarrhoea in cattle has been extended by six months due to delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The BVD Stamp It Out initiative was launched in 2018 by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to reduce the incidence and impact of the disease in the English breeding herd.

Within six months, the project – which is being delivered by SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) – had recruited 120 veterinary practices across England to offer the programme to farmers on the ground.

Feedback suggests that 100 per cent of respondents feel in a better position to eradicate the disease at farm level, emphasising the significance of the project.

However, the global pandemic has impacted on the ability of vets to get out and deliver the project on farm and Defra has now extended it beyond the original December 2020 deadline until June next year.

Neil Carter, project manager at SAC Consulting, said: “We built some real momentum through 2019 and early 2020, and with 5,500 farmers enrolled in the project, we are well on the way to engaging the target of 8,000 herds across England."