Animal Health

As the weather turns, stock is being housed and winter rations formulated. Extra attention should be given to a smooth transition to reduce the risk of acidosis and the associated poor performance, experts say.

Scientists have made new discoveries on airborne spread of AI, and revealed Northern Gannets and Shag are showing signs of developing immunity to avian influenza, according to research published todayscien (20th October).

Ceva has launched a step-by-step cattle mobility guide and a series of mobility improvement training videos, to help promote best practice in the management of dairy cattle lameness.

Farmers urged to beware when buying animals in, especially from Europe, as there is increasing concern about the spread of BTV-3 and its proximity to the UK.

The National Sheep Association has emphasized the need for all four UK nations to adopt a consistent approach to sheep health following recommendations made in the Scottish Government’s recent Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) report.

This year’s BFREPA Live event will feature Scottish egg producer James Baxter, who will talk about the harsh realities of dealing with bird flu, having lost his entire flock of nearly 200,000 hens to a mandatory cull following a positive test in January.

Farmers and their staff can now access Red Tractor accredited veterinary training online, to complete in their own time and gain Dairy Pro points. Synergy Farm Health, which already delivers a wide variety of farmer training in-person, has developed a new online training platform, to cater for those who struggle to make physical workshops.

Sheep farmers are being urged to stay vigilant for worm and fluke risks in their flocks this autumn following reports of high worm egg counts nationwide.

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is inviting farmers to join a free webinar next month discussing the reason behind ongoing vaccine shortages in the industry, the implications for animal health and what to do if supplies become unavailable.

At a busy time of year for sheep to move between holdings, the Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS) group is encouraging producers to think about sheep health as an extremely precious asset worthy of multi-pronged protection.

Following the arrival of new vaccine stocks, sheep farmers tupping late in October are being encouraged to vaccinate their flocks against EAE (enzootic abortion of ewes) to protect the health and welfare of their ewes and prevent abortions during lambing.

Following reports of African Swine Fever (ASF) being detected in Sweden for the first time, industry groups are urging farmers to ramp up biosecurity and called for stricter border control measures to prevent the devastating disease from reaching UK shores.