More cows mean more sick animals and more money lost if there is a disease outbreak. The reality is, if you are buying in animals from other herds, both your herd and the animals being purchased should be vaccinated for IBR. Equally, the stress of mixing new animals into an already established herd makes for ideal conditions for the spread of IBR. Mastitis and high SCC cows can have a crippling effect on profits in an expanding herd. Only cows from a milk recorded herd and that show consistently low cell count should be introduced into your herd.

Source: Irish Independent February 05, 2020 09:00 UTC