Livestock News

New research by the Universities of Warwick and Nottingham has revealed how differences in farmer behaviour, particularly around vaccination uptake, can influence the outcome of livestock disease outbreaks.

Led by the Sheep Antibiotic Guardian Group (SAGG), the #HealthyFeetHappySheep campaign launched last week (7th September) aims to educate vets and farmers on all aspects of sheep foot health and signpost the industry to the latest resources.

Following ragwort and hemlock poisoning cases reported in cattle and pigs by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), AHDB is urging farmers to make sure they are familiar with the signs of toxicity and be on the lookout for poisonous plants in their fields.

Those who attended the National Sheep Association (NSA) Northern Region event last Friday had their eyes opened to the opportunities and potential pitfalls of ways to diversify sheep farming enterprises.

The latest figures from Defra have revealed total pig numbers in England have fallen by half a million this year, hitting the lowest levels seen since 2011 at 3.63 million head.

With mixed silage quality experienced this year, dairy farmers are being encouraged to start planning for winter feeding early to ensure consistency across rations and achieve optimum milk yields.

Early pregnancy diagnosis (PD) in cattle has huge potential to improve business efficiency, reduce emissions and maximise profitability, says Robert Ramsay, agriculture specialist at SAC Consulting.

A new 50.2m tall animal feed mill will be built in Suffolk, after district councillors approved a planning application from British Sugar Plc and AB Agri Ltd.

With cows being at increased risk of disease in the first month post-calving, farmers are being urged to act now to prevent milk losses due to ketosis and transition-related disease.

Sheep dipping contractors, farmers and prescribers are being urged to make themselves aware of the latest updates to the Mobile Sheep Dipping Code of Practice, which aim to ensure the ongoing effectiveness and safe use of organophosphate (OP) dips in the UK.

The EPIHERD project led by Antler Bio was awarded a Smart Grant from Innovate UK to develop a platform for dairy farmers to access epigenomic data on their herds to better understand and improve cow performance.

As we head into the colder months, Farmers Guide offers three top tips to prepare for housing cattle this season – from building maintenance and farm safety, to animal health and nutrition.