Are pre-mating vacinations key to preventing bull breakdown this sale season?

Promising signs from a vaccination trial should greatly interest producers with breeder herds looking to avoid virgin bulls breaking down.

Meat and Livestock Australia believes inflammation of the penis and prepuceone in bulls, especially young ones, is the primary concern facing fertility success this season and can lead to catastrophic injury.

Recent trials in Western Australia have shown promise in how a commercial Bovine Herpesvirus vaccine (Rhinogard or Bovilis MH + IBR) before mating can reduce the incidence and severity of balanoposthitis.

MLA is funding a producer demonstration site to test the effectiveness of IBR vaccines against balanoposthitis.

The three-year Producer Demonstration Site project,in collaboration with WA-based producer ggroupsASHEEP and BEEF, has plenty of takeaways for Queensland operations.

A survey of 48 propertis, with more than 1000 bulls including almost 300 virgins, showed a significant difference in breakdown rates between vaccinated and unvaccinated bulls.

On unvaccinated properties, 20.5 per cent of virgin bulls broke down, with 17.4pc of those cases attributed to balanoposthitis.

In contrast, on properties where bulls were vaccinated, only 13.4pc of virgin bulls broke down, and 12.9pc of those cases were due to balanoposthitis.

The research also suggests that exposing virgin bulls to sexual experience before joining may help reduce the incidence of the condition.

Additionally, wet conditions contributed to a higher incidence of breakdowns, with 64.7pc of producers reporting virgin bull breakdowns also reporting wet conditions.

Cattle veterinarian Dr Enoch Bergman, Swans Veterinary Services, has teamed up with grower group ASHEEP and BEEF to help three producer demonstration sites that started in 2023 in Esperance, Western Australia.

Final results are expected in early 20,26, but Dr Bergman said the initial results demonstrated a 6.4pc and 11.1pc reduction in the incidence of balanoposthitis in 2023 and 20,24, respectively.

"Proportionally, this reduction is equivalent to a 33.2pc and 67.3pc reduction of the proportion of bulls affected," he said.

The research is also attempting to calculate the cost of the syndrome to producers and the return on investment of vaccination.

Australian Cattle Veterinarians president and Monto Veterinary Group's Dr Stacey Rae acknowledged balanoposthitis was a prevalent issue in Queensland.

"It certainly is a problem in Queensland, although I believe it is more prevalent in NSW, which has higher stocking densities," Dr Rae said.

"I am unsure if vaccine uptake across the state is increasing, but there has been an increase in vaccination in my clients.

"We encourage seedstock producers to vaccinate their bulls prior to sale, and these vaccinations can be recorded on their Bullcheck certificates."

Dr Rae said the best way for producers to reduce the risk was to implement a vaccination program and have a biosecurity management plan in place.

MLA's program manager for animal wellbeing research investments, Dr Michael Lawrence, said balanoposthitis was an ongoing problem in WA, particularly among young Bos taurus bulls.

Balanoposthitis also causes infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) and infectious pustular vulvovaginitis (IPV) in cows.

Dr Lawrence said there was no specific vaccine for balanoposthitis, but some vets suggest using IBR vaccines as a preventive measure.

"Sometimes people use the vaccines available for IBR, which is the herpes virus that affects the nose and eyes as if they will protect the animals against (Balanoposthitis)," he said.

"It's not a widespread message for producers to use IBR vaccines to protect their bulls, but in some parts of the country where you've got vets plugging that idea, there's more uptake."

Choosing the right bull at sale time

Department of Agriculture and Fisheries beef extension officer Tim Emery said extensive research before sale day could make all the difference in choosing the right bull.

He recommended identifying a shortlist in advance, supporting seed stock producers that provided objective information and using estimated breeding values alongside phenotype.

"EBVs are just one part of the bull buying process - fertility, structure, and temperament are certainly about of the other big-ticket items," he said.

"EBVs are essentially a blueprint for how, on average, that bull is likely to influence his progeny.

"Over the years, EBVs have been shown to provide an accurate prediction of genetic merit in various breeds, locations and traits.

"At the moment, you can only compare EBVs within the breed. However, the Repronomics, Northern Steer BIN, and Southern Multibreed projects are helping develop multibreed EBVs.

"As more data feeds into Breedplan, the EBVs will change (for better or worse), so be sure to check they are still taking you in the direction you want to go.

"To minimise the risk, you should do a BULLCHECK on each bull annually, administer annual vaccinations and manage body condition score appropriately."