empty bvd samples

mcgyvor · 10-03-2017 11:54AM #1

Anybody else having problems with the bvd samples this year.about 10% coming back empty every time have to retest then delaying selling never had any before this year.mullinahone tags and enfer testing.

whelan2 · 10-03-2017 12:31PM

Do you close in the sample as soon as you take it. Hold taggers up after taking sample so it doesn't fall out. Touch wood no empty samples here in a couple of years

kerry cow · 10-03-2017 01:17PM

Never had much problem with mullinahone tags but changed to cormac this year and it's a complete disaster .The bvd vial is a mess and so many empties

Bellview · 10-03-2017 02:55PM

Using mullinahone also. No problems in a few years. About 4 years ago I had issues..but it was my fault not tag

jaymla627 · 10-03-2017 03:06PM

kerry cow wrote: »

Never had much problem with mullinahone tags but changed to cormac this year and it's a complete disaster .The bvd vial is a mess and so many empties

id reckon your losing the steel tip of the top of the bvd tag that seals the sample vial happened us here with two samples aswell, its a piss poor design as the steel tip can fall out when your tagging really shouldn't be secured so loosely

Wildsurfer · 10-03-2017 10:11PM

mcgyvor wrote: »

Anybody else having problems with the bvd samples this year.about 10% coming back empty every time have to retest then delaying selling never had any before this year.mullinahone tags and enfer testing.

Yep same problem here. Had same problem last year. Defo not anything I'm doing wrong as I couldn't be more careful as its a pain waiting for retest. I close properly, hold the tagged afterwards that sample can't fall out and straight into vial. Could it be some fault with tagger? I'd think more a Mullinahone or tagger problem than enfer.

Pidae.m · 11-03-2017 07:37AM

Ya I'm the same, it just took me a while to get the hang of the new tagger.

mcgyvor wrote: »

Anybody else having problems with the bvd samples this year.about 10% coming back empty every time have to retest then delaying selling never had any before this year.mullinahone tags and enfer testing.

Sam Kade · 11-03-2017 01:32PM

whelan2 wrote: »

Do you close in the sample as soon as you take it. Hold taggers up after taking sample so it doesn't fall out. Touch wood no empty samples here in a couple of years

Same here, I always keep the tagger with the pin facing up and put the vial over it, no empty since the start of bvd testing. Sometimes the green plug doesn't go into the sample so the sample could easily be lost if the tagger is turned.

Lady Haywire · 11-03-2017 01:41PM

I've never had any turn up empty yet and i tag for our own place and three other farms! I don't even know what way I hold it but I usually look into the pin to make sure the sample is there so it prob has to be facing up for that!

freedominacup · 11-03-2017 01:43PM

The system is wrong. The first any farmer should know about an empty sample is when the bud tag arrives by return of post with a letter of apology from the lab and the tag supplier for the inconvenience and a stamped addressed envelope for returning the sample to testing lab. This "hey listen gob****e wtf are you doing" text telling you that the sample is wrong is nothing more than everyone else shifting the blame into us for their sh1tty system.

whelan2 · 11-03-2017 01:55PM

freedominacup wrote: »

The system is wrong. The first any farmer should know about an empty sample is when the bud tag arrives by return of post with a letter of apology from the lab and the tag supplier for the inconvenience and a stamped addressed envelope for returning the sample to testing lab. This "hey listen gob****e wtf are you doing" text telling you that the sample is wrong is nothing more than everyone else shifting the blame into us for their sh1tty system.

If you go into ahi on the icbf site.You can see you bvd results almost a day before you get the text. Very handy for doing movements. It's also updated sooner than the enfer website for some reason

Wildsurfer · 11-03-2017 03:58PM

freedominacup wrote: »

The system is wrong. The first any farmer should know about an empty sample is when the bud tag arrives by return of post with a letter of apology from the lab and the tag supplier for the inconvenience and a stamped addressed envelope for returning the sample to testing lab. This "hey listen gob****e wtf are you doing" text telling you that the sample is wrong is nothing more than everyone else shifting the blame into us for their sh1tty system.

+1000 There should defo be a system in place that automatically orders re test tag to speed the whole process up. But still can't get my head around how some people never get empties and some get them regularly.

Who2 · 12-03-2017 09:29AM

I've had one in the last five years and tag a fair few every year. I don't do anything special, if anything I'm probably a bit disorganised. I could be onto the next calf and only then realise I haven't put the sample in the vial

Sam Kade · 12-03-2017 11:08AM

It was only to last 3 years, first year voluntary. I guess they saw what a nice little money spinner it was and kept it going. Are farmers still allowed to hold onto positives if yes it defies the whole thing.

Wildsurfer · 12-03-2017 12:40PM

Still no legal obligation to dispose of positives but I think now it has to be displayed on board at marts if animal is PI.

J.O. Farmer · 12-03-2017 12:45PM

Wildsurfer wrote: »

Still no legal obligation to dispose of positives but I think now it has to be displayed on board at marts if animal is PI.

That can't be right. I don't think you can sell a PI.
Maybe it's if there's a PI retained on the farm.

Wildsurfer · 12-03-2017 12:56PM

Yeah you're right, no movement cert allowed for PIs except to knackery. What was that I read so that was saying they would display on mart boards.. Maybe date of test?

greysides · 12-03-2017 02:18PM

If you retain a PI longer than 5 weeks the herd is locked up. That should help to reduce TI spread.
http://animalhealthireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/BVD-Key-Points-2017-FINAL.pdf

valtraman · 12-03-2017 02:48PM

No problem herenow but does your mullinahone tagger close properly ,click the sample into the vial , I had to file the tagger to allow it to close more closely as the samples would not click in ,if so the samples might not be pushed up the tube while tagging

Winston Wolf · 12-03-2017 09:51PM

kerry cow wrote: »

Never had much problem with mullinahone tags but changed to cormac this year and it's a complete disaster .The bvd vial is a mess and so many empties

I had empty but it was cos I think I knocked the little cutting thing off the tag and it tagged alright but I could see that the sample bottle was different than the others. I rang up Cormacs and they sent me out a button tag for free! But I had to send off the sample myself separately. I know Mullinahone don't post it for you but I never had an empty with them. They told me that they were sending out spare cutting things with tags which was in my box. I like the system but I think that their could be a bit better explanation of the importance of having the cutting yoke attached before using the tag. I wonder is there a limit on their free replacement guarantee!

Pidae.m · 12-03-2017 10:45PM

That's exactly what happened me too. I'm fairly clumsy the best of times.

Winston Wolf wrote: »

I had empty but it was cos I think I knocked the little cutting thing off the tag and it tagged alright but I could see that the sample bottle was different than the others. I rang up Cormacs and they sent me out a button tag for free! But I had to send off the sample myself separately. I know Mullinahone don't post it for you but I never had an empty with them. They told me that they were sending out spare cutting things with tags which was in my box. I like the system but I think that their could be a bit better explanation of the importance of having the cutting yoke attached before using the tag. I wonder is there a limit on their free replacement guarantee!

Englebert Humperdink · 12-03-2017 11:05PM

Was with Mullinahone for years and never had a problem. Switched to Cormac this year and had my first empty. Rang them and they sent me a button tag for free. Reason I switched was the Mullinahone tags were falling off at a ridiculous rate. Cormac said they would send out replacement tags for free.

whelan2 · 16-03-2017 09:28PM

See on pg 16 of the journal that empty bvd samples are double what they were this time last year.

pedigree 6 · 16-03-2017 09:41PM

whelan2 wrote: »

See on pg 16 of the journal that empty bvd samples are double what they were this time last year.

I wonder what changed?

We've never had an empty here.
As others have said and best practice.
The sample is held upwards until put and clicked into sample bottle. Then when in the shed we put the bottles into a mug with tissue paper in the bottom of it to dampen the shock of when the bottle hits the bottom of the mug.
Might be a bit extreme but that's what we do.

whelan2 · 16-03-2017 09:49PM

The article also says there have been 30,000 less samples sampled so far this year compared to last year. 741 positives so far this year 278 of which are now recorded as dead.

whelan2 · 21-03-2017 08:58PM

I jinxed it, got an empty sample text today

Wildsurfer · 21-03-2017 09:26PM

whelan2 wrote: »

I jinxed it, got an empty sample text today

Nobody is perfect:o

whelan2 · 21-03-2017 09:29PM

Wildsurfer wrote: »

Nobody is perfect:o

I was able to see the empty tag report on icbf at dinner time today, didnt get text until 5pm, was able to order replacement tag today as I knew earlier than the text

kerry cow · 24-03-2017 11:00PM

In fairness I think the cormac tags empty rate is reckless .I am going back to mullinahone next year

Keepgrowing · 25-03-2017 08:01AM

kerry cow wrote: »

In fairness I think the cormac tags empty rate is reckless .I am going back to mullinahone next year

Have had high empty rates here up to 10% but it was human error in the main.

A small bit more care and its 1% this year.

How are the Cormac tags otherwise, bit early to say yet I suppose

Calfscour · 25-03-2017 10:46AM

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Have had high empty rates here up to 10% but it was human error in the main.

A small bit more care and its 1% this year.

How are the Cormac tags otherwise, bit early to say yet I suppose

Used them this year not one empty sample. This thing to seal the bottles on top of the tag are flimsy alright and would fall off if not careful, they should send a few spares of these. Otherwise very happy and never going back to mullinahone.

empty bvd samples

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