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Know How / Dairy / Health and welfare

Good health and welfare is an essential feature of dairy herd management. Read up-to-date information on major welfare issues and diseases affecting dairy animals including infectious disease such as bovine TB and BVD, respiratory disease, mastitis, lameness and keep up to date with the latest welfare requirements.

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Case studies

DAIRY

How teamwork got dairy herd’s mastitis spike under control

When mastitis rates unexpectedly surged in Steve and Emma Furnival’s spring-calving herd, it put pressure on every part of their business — from cow health and profitability to team morale.…

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

How Johne’s management cut disease to less than 2% of herd

Consistent efforts to prevent Johne’s disease in a high-yielding Wiltshire dairy herd have resulted in cases falling from a high of 25% (cows identified as Johne’s positive or high risk)…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

How targeted mastitis treatment drove down vet and med costs

A concerted effort to tackle high incidences of clinical mastitis and repeat cases in high-yielding cows is helping a 200-cow Lancashire dairy farm save on vet fees and reduce milk…

DAIRY

How cow-controlled climate ventilation can reduce lameness

A combination of positive pressure tubes, side curtains and cooling has helped cows to cope better with heat stress, maintain yields and improve foot health at Graig Olway, in Monmouthshire.…

LIVESTOCK

FW Awards: The 2025 Livestock Adviser of the Year finalists

Switching dairy breeds, rapid herd expansion and a laser-like focus on training are three key focus areas for this year’s finalists. See also: FW Awards 2025: Meet the finalists Finalists Andrew…

DAIRY

'Little wins' improve milk and protein yield on Cornish farm

Milk quality has not been compromised as yields have increased on a 550-cow dairy farm near Bodmin, Cornwall. In fact, while yields at Treveglos Farm are up by 1,200 litres…

Practical advice

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HEALTH AND WELFARE

Advice on applying lime to cubicles to aid mastitis control

Liming cubicles may not be anyone’s favourite job, but it remains an important task in mastitis control. Push/pull-along dispensers, auger-driven models (spreading lime with bedding sawdust), or the traditional bucket-and-mug…

FOOT HEALTH

Sole ulcers in dairy: Risk factors and how to reduce them

Sole ulcers persist as one of the major causes of lameness in dairy cattle in the UK. For both animal welfare and economic reasons, minimising the incidence of these cases…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

How smiley faces can be used to share cow milking status

Simple, visual alerts still have their place in the milking parlour, even in the era of smart cow technology. A sequence of three dots followed by a line on the…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Advice on drying off high-yielding cows

With cows now reaching lactation yields of 13,000 litres-plus as standard, it is common for them to still be giving 40 litres (or more) at drying off. This risks discomfort…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Fire risk planning - what to consider on a livestock farm

Climate change is driving livestock farmers to consider farm resilience and feed security. But it should also make them think about the increasing challenge from wildfires and the risk to…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

7 ways small changes in calf rearing can bring big gains

As a vet working with dairy and beef farms, one of the most common questions I am asked is: “Do we need to make a big change to improve our…

Insights

DAIRY

GB Calf Strategy to focus on unweaned dairy beef calf welfare

Dairy beef is no longer seen as a by-product of the milk industry, but a suitable co-product to replace beef imports, as a result of the GB Calf Strategy’s work.…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Why planting more trees could protect milk yields

New data show the impact on dairy cows of heat stress induced by an absence of shade during hot weather. It resulted in a milk yield loss of 117.3kg a…

MEDICINES

Why don’t more farmers use pain relief for sick calves?

Concern over managing the use of antimicrobials on-farm and a lack of understanding around the effectiveness of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) are preventing use of these drugs as standard in treating…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

How herd's mastitis rate dropped 37% after water treatment

Improving water hygiene on a 260-cow herd led to a 37% drop in the mastitis rate. Bulk tank cell count and Bactoscan numbers also fell below thresholds that trigger financial…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Dairy winter housing upgrade helps cut new infection rates

Taking time to evaluate low mastitis rates but high spring cell counts in their 250-cow spring-calving herd prompted Emmie Bland and her husband Johnny to reconsider winter housing arrangements. The…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Benefits of lung scanning for respiratory disease in calves

A study involving eight commercial dairy farms has flagged up the value of scanning calf lungs for respiratory disease damage. Some two-thirds of the animals found with lesions had never…

DAIRY

Lungworm vaccine cuts wormer use by nearly 90%, study shows

Vaccinating youngstock for lungworm has resulted in an 87% reduction in the use of macrocyclic lactone wormers among dairy farmers who took part in a Welsh study. The trial was…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

How data analysis helped dairy herds cut mastitis cases

A project involving multiple dairy farms across Wales has demonstrated why collecting data to establish the mastitis “red flags” specific to an individual herd can be key to reducing disease…

LIVESTOCK

Feed efficiency research reveals importance of cow grouping

Breeding dairy herds for feed efficiency can be negatively impacted on-farm by managing lactating cows in mixed parity groups. This is because of competition at the feed bunk and a…

DAIRY

Cow health strategy rethink needed after bolus loss

Dairy farms need to review their strategies for preventing metabolic disease in transition cows as monensin boluses are no longer on the market, said independent veterinary consultant Dr David Charles.…

LIVESTOCK

Why a congenital defect could cause calf losses

Ask a dairy or beef farmer if they have ever had a calf born with atresia, a condition commonly known as “waterbelly”, and the chances are they will say no.…

LIVESTOCK

Benefits of giving dairy calves toys on farm

Giving dairy calves plastic “toys” to play with helps them express their natural behaviour which, in turn, benefits their mental wellbeing. As a result, they are less likely to display…

Online resources

Nadis livestock disease A-Z - Cattle

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Nadis livestock disease A-Z - Sheep

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Nadis livestock disease A-Z - Pigs

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Nadis livestock disease A-Z - Poultry

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