MV/CAE accreditation programme

The Small Ruminant Lentiviruses (SRLVs), Maedi Visna Virus (MVV) in sheep and Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis Virus (CAEV) in goats, can cause severe losses in small ruminant populations. The main organs affected by MVV/ CAEV are mammary glands, lungs, joints and the central nervous system. The virus replicates and induces slowly progressing inflammatory lesions in these organs.

Why participate

High herd health status.
Minimise production losses and mortality.
Programme recently updated in line with current SRLV tests.

What sampling is involved

Intake: random samples taken after twelve months without introduction of new animals, or exclusively entry of accredited animals, to the herd, with a sample size allowing up to 0.5 percent reactors (seropositive animals (CI 95%)). Herd accreditation provided if results of all individuals are favourable.
After a successful intake into the accreditation programme, (bi)annual sampling for ELISA test is performed with 95 percent certainty to detect a prevalence of 5 percent.

How you get advised

Interpretation of results by GD experts; accreditation provided if all results are favourable.
If results are unfavourable, we provide customised recommendations in a written report.
Farm visit with specific advice on how to gain accreditation status.

Our expert

René van den Brom, DVM, PhD, DipECSRHM

René van den Brom was born on February 25th 1977 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and grew up in Abcoude, where he visited primary school "Nellestein". In 1989, he started high school at "Hervormd Lyceum Zuid" in Amsterdam, where he passed his VWO-exam. In 1997, he started his study Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University and obtained his degree in veterinary medicine (DVM) in 2004 with merit. During his study he was for one year (1999-2000) president of the Veterinary Students Association (DSK), and for two years (2001-2002) member of the Faculty board. In 2002, he received the "Intervet award", reached out annually at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine to a student who excellently contributed to integration among veterinary students.

In 2004, René started as a livestock veterinarian in veterinary practice "Het Westelijk Weidegebied" in Harmelen, which started working together with the veterinary practice of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht, in 2009. In 2008, René started working part-time at Royal GD, Deventer, as veterinarian in small ruminant health. Due to the human Q fever outbreak with a suspected relation to dairy goats, a large portfolio of (veterinary) research started with the aim to obtain additional information on Coxiella burnetii infections in small ruminants, in which René participated from the beginning. Since 2010, René works full-time at GD Animal Health, and from that moment on he started writing scientific papers. His external PhD-program started after publication of his first research paper. In 2013, René qualified as specialist in small ruminant health management, and currently is diplomat of the European College of Small Ruminant Health Management (DipECSRHM). In 2015, René received his PhD-degree on his thesis “Veterinary aspects of a Q fever outbreak in the Netherlands between 2005 and 2012”. He was a member of the scientific board for the International Sheep Veterinary Conference in Harrogate (2017). Since 2017, René is a member of the Credentials Committee of the ECSRHM.

In 2020, René became manager of the department for small ruminant, equine, and companion health at Royal GD. Besides, he is working as a veterinary specialist in small ruminant health management with an extra interest in surveillance of small ruminant health and infectious causes of abortion in small ruminants.

Fields of expertise and publications

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