Reporting Methods for Brucellosis Infections
Reporting abortions and early calvings
The law requires cattle keepers to report every abortion or premature calving to an appropriate officer (a Veterinary Inspector) as required by Article 10 of the Brucellosis (Scotland) Regulations 2000 and its equivalents in England and Wales. An abortion or premature calving is defined as "an abortion or calving takes place less than 271 days after service, or 265 days after implantation or transfer of an embryo, whether the calf is born dead or alive." In the first instance you must report any bovine abortion or premature calving to the duty Veterinary Officer at your Divisional Animal Health Office.
He or she will ascertain if an abortion investigation is required. In the case of dairy cows which contributing to a regular monthly bulk milk sample which is tested for brucellosis, an abortion investigation will be required. In most cases the investigation will be carried out by your private veterinary surgeon who will be instructed by the Divisional Veterinary Manager, to carry out the investigation .
The cost of an abortion investigation for Brucellosis is met by SEERAD, your private veterinary surgeon will not charge you unless you require an additional private investigation.
Notify normal calvings in imported cattle
As a further safeguard, SEERAD will take additional samples from all normal calvings from imported cattle. If you have purchased imported cattle you should notify the Divisional Veterinary Manager of the date when an imported cow or heifer calves for the first time in Scotland. This information should be provided on the first working day after calving, so that a post calving blood test of the dam can be arranged.
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