Livestock News

After a challenging summer, limited grass in some areas may have affected ewe condition, so forage analysis is critical for rationing heavily pregnant ewes.

With edible insects being hailed as a sustainable source of high protein food, researchers at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) have been awarded more than £10k to develop a strategy for using them in animal feed.

At transition the dairy cow is perhaps at her highest metabolic vulnerability – she is subject to demands which physiologically she often struggles to sustain. Energy and calcium are two prime examples. Post-calving the cow’s demands for both can suddenly increase by upwards of two-fold compared to what they previously were before calving.

For many years the National Sheep Association (NSA) has fought to increase awareness of the devastating issue of sheep worrying by dogs. So, as families prepare for the Christmas holidays, the association that represents UK sheep farmers is angered by a new festive family film inadvertently ignoring the seriousness of the issue.

New compulsory biosecurity and housing measures are set to come into force in Wales tomorrow (Friday 2nd December) to further protect birds against avian influenza.

MSD Animal Health UK Ltd has developed an innovative vaccine technology to increase the convenience of poultry vaccination on-farm.

Dairy farmers could be losing milk production worth tens of thousands of pounds by failing to protect their cows from heat stress during the summer, according to independent vet consultant Dr Tom Chamberlain from Chalcombe Ltd, speaking at a Lallemand Animal Nutrition workshop at Total Dairy in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Leading dairy innovator, smaXtec has launched TruDrinking, a new function which accurately records individual cow’s water intake. This latest technical advance is a world first in the sector-leading health monitoring system and helps farmers to optimise milk production and animal management.

The dry summer and mild, wet autumn of 2022 has resulted in a high worm challenge on many farms, with reports from around the UK of lambs suffering from the effects of high worm burdens.

Cargill UK is now offering its welfare-enhancing feed product in both liquid and in powder form, extending its application to all pig production systems, and at all life stages.

Buoyant milk prices mean improving milk from forage is a ‘no brainer’ on UK dairy farms. But high input costs mean doing this cost-efficiently is set to remain essential in 2023.

MSD Animal Health UK Ltd is urging poultry producers to continue monitoring for red mite among flocks as the housing order comes into effect across England.