FarmLab Diagnostics were designated by Animal Health Ireland in March 2013 to carry out BVD testing on cattle ear notches. This means that Farmlab Diagnostics is the only lab in the west and north-west of Ireland to be accredited for provision of BVD testing under the national BVD eradication programme.

The national BVD eradication programme has shown that slightly less than 1% of Irish calves are born persistently infected with the BVD virus. Use of ear notch testing allows rapid identification of these persistently infected calves, so that they can be removed from cattle herds. Evidence from other countries shows that the numbers of BVD infected calves decreases rapidly once a national BVD programme is put in place