Livestock News

Average prices for all prime cattle peaked at 448.1p/kg in the final week of December – the highest price on record (back to 2014), according to AHDB figures.

Even small amounts of spoiled silage will have a detrimental impact on how much cattle eat and how their rumens function.

Taking place from January to March, the British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA) roadshows will address the ongoing crisis in the sector, discussing priority topics such as contract reform, production cost data, and avian influenza.

Three finalists have been named for this year’s Royal Dairy Innovation Award and will be presenting their products to a panel of independent judges at the Dairy-Tech event on 1st February.

Lactalign, a device that counters the often costly impact of uneven weight and vacuum distribution of a milking cluster, has won a Gold Award in the Livestock Innovation category.

Following reports of low early scanning rates due to grass shortages, farmers are advised to ramp up on ewe nutrition to ensure lambing percentages are retained.

Due to an increased risk of worm infection in housed birds, free-range egg producers are being reminded to follow standard worming protocols during the housing order.

Following the introduction of the poultry Housing Order on 7th November, Poultry Health Services clinical director Sara Perez-Palacios, explains how to further reduce the risk of avian influenza in laying and rearing flocks, and ensure that bird health and welfare is optimised during the housing period.

As part of AHDB’s Delivering the Future of Farming event, representatives of the pork sector council sat down with strategy director Angela Christison to answer questions and expand on the three priorities outlined in the pork sector plan. Henrietta Szathmary attended the online event.

From March 2022, Dr Richard Irvine will join the Welsh government as the new chief veterinary officer.

As weather patterns become increasingly extreme and unpredictable, input costs continue to rise, and farmers face ongoing pressure to reduce environmental impacts, approaches to managing parasites and disease will need to adapt. Livestock editor Sarah Kidby reports.

Trials on more than 4,000 pigs on units in Spain and the UK showed that cost-effective improvements in feed efficiency can be achieved where a natural botanic-based feed product is added to diets, according to Cargill UK.