Livestock News

Sheep farmers in South Wales have been warned of the risk of blowfly strike as the local Blowfly Watch risk alert has been raised to red.

Defra has just announced that mandatory housing measures for poultry and captive birds, which were introduced across various counties to prevent the spread of bird flu, will be lifted from Thursday 15th May. 

As the UK beef sector is expected to face a growing supply and demand gap by 2030, needing an additional 278,000 tonnes of beef to reach self-sufficiency, Quality Meat Scotland said that two additional cows per herd each year could solve the problem.

There are concerns that two agricultural sectors have been singled out to shoulder the burden of the removal of tariffs for other industries in the economy.

New research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has found that economic costs, environmental impacts, misalignment between consumer purchasing and understanding are key reasons for the limited shift of UK chicken meat production to higher welfare standards outlined in the ‘Better Chicken Commitment’ (BCC).

The Scottish Region of the National Sheep Association (NSA) has welcomed the approval of the Bluetongue vaccine in Scotland and said that the move is “reassuring” for the sheep industry.

EnviroSystems has been shortlisted for a string of national and regional business awards, recognising innovation and sustainability.

Devon & Cornwall Police Rural Affairs Team has recently issued a plea for help to find a therapy sheep Bertha that was stolen from the North Devon area. 

The use of a gene-editing technology that makes pigs resistant to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) has been approved in the US for its food supply chain.

A report warning parliamentarians of the disparity between UK animal welfare and that of nations locked in free trade negotiations should be reassuring for sheep farmers fearing substandard imports, the National Sheep Association said. 

The Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS) has filed papers with the High Court seeking permission to judicially review the hourly charges for official controls and enforcement that came into effect on 1st April.

The Red Tractor’s Pigs Sector Board is seeking views on proposals to introduce tiered welfare standards and labelling for UK pig meat. The proposed approach is set to reduce audit cost, complexity for producers and simplify consumer choice.