Livestock News

Dairy farmers are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit staff with some producers potentially being forced to leave the industry due to a lack of resource, a recent review has found.

A nationwide stock judging competition which tasked farmers with ranking six dairy heifers on their potential profitability suggests traditional means of assessing dairy youngstock cannot compete with the accuracy gained from genomic testing.

Rural consultant shares top tips to ensure farmers meet their legal responsibilities when animals return to fields – especially where there are public rights of way across land used for livestock.

Swedish oat drink company Oatly – which has sparked a backlash among farmers for its claims about dairy farming’s environmental impact – has unveiled plans to open its first UK factory in Peterborough in 2023, sourcing oats from UK farmers.

Easyfix, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of livestock comfort products, has announced the acquisition of Ameram Slurry Limited’s Aeromix system with immediate effect. The deal is viewed as the strategic next step in the development of Easyfix’s animal housing product portfolio and strengthens their commitment to continuous innovation in the agricultural marketplace.

Chief veterinary officers have announced that poultry housing measures, implemented in December amid rising avian flu cases, will be lifted on 31st March.

As the UK weather warms up, dairy and beef farmers are being encouraged to protect the performance of total mixed rations (TMRs) with the use of an efficient preservative.

Preventing lungworm outbreaks this grazing season must be made a priority ahead of turnout, says MSD Animal Health veterinary adviser Dr Kat Baxter-Smith.

In the past few decades, the poultry sector has made significant strides in purpose-built housing and technology to monitor environmental conditions. Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health has been working with PrognostiX to find out how the dairy sector could learn from this to reduce calf mortality. Sarah Kidby reports.

Derbyshire farmer Tori Stanley believes high standards of animal health and welfare, a short food chain and sustainability are all possible – but the industry must speak with one voice, regardless of their farming system.

As endemic diseases in cattle and pigs become a major focal point for the UK government, industry suppliers get set to efficiently support an even higher standard of farming, as laid out in Defra’s latest policy update. Online farm essentials store All Agri says it has responded by scaling up its offering for pig farming and welfare.

Meeting net zero targets and improving efficiency were dominant themes at this year’s Dairy-Tech Online (3rd–17th February), which was held over Zoom for the first time due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions. Sarah Kidby reports.