Cattle, livestock and small animals

Tender description

The Authority is looking for a Contractor(s) to deliver an Animal Health and Welfare Project to improve farm productivity in England. This is set out in 2 distinct lots of work: Lot 1 Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) — To achieve a reduction in the level of Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) in cattle. The duration of this contract will be 3 years plus 6 months reporting, a total 3.5 years. Estimated budget — 3 295 500 GBP. Lot 2 Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea Virus (PEDv) in the English pig heard — to achieve the continued absence of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea Virus (PEDv) in the English pig herd. The duration of this contract will be 18 months. Budget — 585 000 GBP. A bidder may: bid for just one lot; bid for both lots; bid for both lots but could only be awarded 1 lot or bid for both lots and be awarded both lots. The Contractor(s) will be required to work with qualified vets to ensure that a consistent disease control message is relayed to all participants. The aim is to achieve productivity gains to the English cattle herd by supporting an industry owned disease control programme to work towards BVD elimination from cattle herds in England. Objectives: (1) To identify herds with BVD infection; (2) To provide specific advice to enable livestock keepers to eliminate BVD from these herds; (3) To provide specific advice to keep BVD out of herds presently free from disease. The purpose of the project is to improve the management of commercial livestock in England resulting in improved farm productivity by integrating disease testing with skills and knowledge transfer activity and advice to achieve a reduction in the level of Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) in cattle. The aim is to maintain productivity and reduce the likelihood and impact of PEDv incursion onto pig farms in England through assessment of risk pathways of disease introduction onto farm, and implementation of biosecurity practices in mitigation. Objectives are: (1) To identify farms at medium and high risk from PEDv incursion; (2) To increase the number of herds being proactive in using consistent and stringent biosecurity measures as part of their routine disease prevention strategy; (3) To raise disease prevention and biosecurity practices to a consistent national standard in order to assist in keeping PEDv out of our national herd; (4) The project also aims to explore whether an integrated nationwide, industry led and managed cluster approach to disease prevention is an effective model.