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Know How / Health and welfare

Animal health is critical to all producers of dairy and beef cattle, sheep and pigs. Get advice on dealing with livestock diseases such as, bovine TB and mastitis, and conditions such as heat stress, lameness and ewe prolapse. See best practice on vaccination, medicines and reducing antibiotics.

Case studies

BOVINE TB

How one dairy farmer is getting a grip on bovine TB

A Pembrokeshire dairy farmer who decided a fresh approach was needed to manage bovine TB in his herd has seen promising results by working more closely with his vet and…

BEEF

How beef-specific foot health focus cut herd’s lameness risk

An on-farm review has enabled beef farmers Jonathan and Delyth Crimes to prioritise areas that will benefit foot health, resulting in easier day-to-day management and a 90% reduction in antibiotics…

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…

BEEF

How pelvic scoring has helped improve suckler herd health

A decision to keep a heifer that looked “the best of the bunch”, despite her borderline pelvic score, taught Stuart Gowling a valuable lesson. The heifer went on to need…

SHEEP

How a fine-wool flock is selecting for blowfly tolerance

A sheep bred for high-quality wool naturally has thin skin. The bonus is that this sheep is also naturally resistant to blowfly strike. The connection between skin thickness and strike…

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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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…

PIGS

Advice on supporting the piglet microbiome

From probiotics to antioxidants and yeast-based solutions, there has been a rapid increase in products coming to market that are claimed to enhance piglet gut health. These products are intended…

PIGS

6 ways to help protect against African swine fever

Pig producers are starting to draw up contingency plans to reduce the risk of African swine fever coming onto their farms. These plans will also minimise the stress of being…

DAIRY

Why planning and proper kit are key to treating downer cows

Time is crucial for the downer cow: the first 30 minutes after she falls make all the difference between a full recovery and exiting the herd. But instead of panic…

LIVESTOCK

How homeopathy can prevent and reduce livestock disease

Integrating homeopathic and preventative protocols into livestock systems can avoid up to 80% of common health problems, according to veterinary surgeon and homeopathic vet Chris Aukland. “Disease doesn't just happen,” he says. “It…

SHEEP

How a flock health plan can help improve performance

Use of flock health plans and KPIs can be invaluable for any sheep farmer to monitor output, reduce costs and improve flock health. They are also a positive way to…

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.…

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

Why pneumonia is hitting more young grazing suckled calves

Vets are urging farmers to put in place mitigation strategies to curtail a surprising increase in respiratory disease linked to immunosuppression in young, suckled, grazing calves. The rise in cases…

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…

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

Low vaccination rate leaves livestock exposed to bluetongue

With bluetongue disease knocking on the door, and with less than 3% of the nation’s ruminant livestock vaccinated, government and private vets are urging a much more rapid uptake of…

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…

BROILERS

Benefits of increasing water oxygen content for broilers

Technology to intensify water’s dissolved oxygen content has been shown to reduce mortality and improve performance in broiler systems. A Ross 308 broiler trial, which involved 840 birds, showed 37.3%…

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…

SHEEP

Sheep vaccination protocols prove their worth in farm trial

A structured approach to preventative vaccination in sheep has driven significant improvements in flock health, antibiotics use and cost efficiency – cutting lameness levels by 66%, among other benefits. This…

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…

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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