Vaccination is one of the most effective and economical tools for preventing diseases in cattle. However, many livestock operations in Latin America still manage their health schedules manually, risking missed doses, lost records, or non-compliance with current regulations.
Efficient vaccination control not only protects your animals' health but is also a legal requirement for meat commercialization and export. In this guide, we explain everything you need to know to keep your herd protected.
FMD vaccination is mandatory in most South American countries. Regulatory agencies establish biannual vaccination campaigns. Non-compliance can result in significant fines and restrictions on moving cattle.
Basic schedule:
Brucellosis vaccination is mandatory for all heifers between 3 and 8 months of age. A single dose of Strain 19 vaccine is applied. This disease is zoonotic, meaning it can be transmitted to humans, making its control a public health priority.
Key points:
Anthrax is endemic in several regions. Annual vaccination is highly recommended, especially in areas with disease history.
Recommended schedule:
Clostridiosis (blackleg, gas gangrene, enterotoxemia) causes sudden death in cattle. Vaccination with polyvalent clostridial vaccines is standard practice in most operations.
Recommended schedule:
For breeding herds, it's essential to vaccinate against reproductive diseases like IBR (Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis), BVD (Bovine Viral Diarrhea), and Campylobacteriosis. These diseases are frequent causes of abortions and low pregnancy rates.
General schedule:
Before setting up the calendar, you need an updated inventory of your animals. Classify them by:
Create a calendar that includes:
The most common error in health control is forgetting a date. Set up automatic alerts that notify you in advance when each vaccination is due. This is especially important for revaccinations, where the interval between doses must be respected for immunization to be effective.
Each vaccination should be recorded with:
A clostridiosis outbreak can kill animals within hours. A brucellosis case can force you to cull positive animals. Lack of vaccination against reproductive diseases can reduce your pregnancy rate by 20-30%.
Non-compliance with mandatory vaccination campaigns can result in:
Buyers and packing plants increasingly demand health documentation. An incomplete vaccination record can mean a lower price for your cattle or outright inability to sell to certain destinations.
Keeping vaccination records in a notebook is risky. Records get lost, get wet, get forgotten. Livestock software like Agrodeo lets you:
With Agrodeo, you can scan the animal's ear tag, select the vaccine from the list, and record the application in less than 10 seconds. No paper, no errors, no forgotten doses.
Cattle vaccination control is a responsibility that directly impacts your herd's health, legal compliance, and profitability. Don't leave health to chance: build a solid calendar, record every application, and use digital tools so no dose gets missed.
Your herd will thank you with better production and fewer health problems.