IBR situation in France

Cattle number: 18.95 m
IBR status: Positive
Official IBR eradication plan: Regional (department level) voluntary eradication programs. There are official guidelines on IBR control however it is not obligatory to eradicated IBR in those infected herds.
There are 4 different categories of herd:
- Herd with unknown status
- Infected herd
- IBR-free herd: category A, all animals are gB negatives, vaccination is forbidden in this herd
- IBR-controlled: category B, all animal from 12 to 48 month are gB negative, there are some cattle more than 48 month old gB positive. These one have to be vaccinated (in accordance to the AMM) in order to avoid virus shedding.
A new national plan is coming year 2006:
- Serological test obligatory for purchased animals since may 2006
Since November 2006:
- Every animal will be tested
- Every seropositive animal will be vaccinated
IBR herd/individual prevalence based on herds with known status (2005-2006 data:):
- Dairy cattle: 4.7 %
- Beef cattle: 10 %
- Herds with A or B status: 44 %
Vaccination: Both conventional and marker vaccines (live and inactivated) are available and used in the field. The official tests are only gB antibody serological tests.