Dairy & Beef News

Veterinary pharmacologist and Provita Ltd adviser Dr Tom Barragry offers advice on preventing lameness and trace element deficiencies in cattle.

Farmers are being reminded of the importance of achieving heifer growth targets in order to maintain herd productivity – following reports of lower-than-average growth rates due to heat stress and lack of adequate grazing this summer.

Following three years of research, the AHBD added three new maternal estimated breeding values (EBVs) to the National Beef Evaluations (NBE) database to help breeders select for traits.

This month, Tonia Simms from Hampden Vets, part of the VetPartners Group, offers advice on bovine respiratory disease, or pneumonia, in housed cattle.

This year’s Women in Dairy Conference revealed details of the financial support dairy farmers in England could receive via the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, with the first set of payments to commence this autumn.

Researchers are looking to speak to a range of farmers and crofters to help improve retention rates and avoid penalties due to missing ear tags.

A recent poll has shown that 78.7% of UK dairy farmers found the majority of disease and poor health in their herd occurs in the first 60 days post-calving.

MSD Animal Health has announced that its Bovilis Intranasal RSP Live vaccine is now licensed for use in calves from the day of birth onwards.

A recent study led by the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has revealed that low-cost thermal imaging devices could be as effective in detecting lameness in dairy cattle as diagnostics up to 50 times more expensive.

Ruminant Health and Welfare has issued a botulism alert to farmers after rocketing fertiliser prices resulted in more poultry litter being used on grass crops.

As farmers face severe cost pressures, the Ruminant Health & Welfare group has issued a reminder of the legal requirement to provide calves with at least two milk feeds a day until 28 days of age.

With the change in underfoot conditions and increased lameness risk at housing, daily footbathing of cattle is recommended. Vet, veterinary pharmacologist and adviser to Provita Ltd, Dr Tom Barragry, explores the benefits of a proven alternative to copper sulphate and formaldehyde.