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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

DAIRY

Why cutting dairy carbon footprint starts in the calf shed

For one south-west dairy, cutting carbon is about producing milk more efficiently, starting with the next generation of cows. Two Pools Farm, near Bristol, is one of 50 dairy farms…

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

How timely bluetongue vaccine prevents dummy calves

A bluetongue vaccination uptake of only 50% among the suckler herd clients of a South East vet practice has been followed by several cases of dummy calves in unprotected herds.…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Benefits of smart ear tag calf data for targeted treatment

Smart ear tags for calves can pick up signs of pneumonia at least 24 hours before they are obvious to humans. But the advantage of this earlier disease detection will…

BEEF

How a vaccine transformed crypto control for one beef system

A new vaccine for cryptosporidium has markedly improved calf health and eased labour demand on a Perthshire beef farm – but it relies on excellent colostrum management to be effective.…

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

Orf disease: Two ways sheep farmers are tackling the virus

Orf is the more common name for contagious pustular dermatitis, and is considered endemic in the UK, and prevalent on most sheep farms. A recent study by the Royal Veterinary…

DAIRY

How smart ear tags are improving calf health and saving time

Smart ear tags are saving a Kelso dairy about two hours a day manually checking every calf. The technology is allowing the team at KSH Farms to focus on the…

Practical advice

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PIGS

How to make biosecurity effective on pig farms

The government’s consultation on a compulsory porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus control and eradication scheme, for farms in England with more than 50 pigs, will soon close. Alongside a…

PARASITIC DISEASES

Advice on grazing management to reduce tick risk to cattle

Grazing low-risk tick pastures with maiden heifers before they reach bulling age will help beef suckler herds to build their resistance to tickborne diseases. Combining good cattle immunity with strategies…

POULTRY

Advice on protecting flocks from Newcastle disease virus

It was in 2006 when Great Britain last had an outbreak of Newcastle disease. With cases now confirmed in western Europe, it is possible that this highly contagious avian virus…

POULTRY

4 year-round biosecurity focus areas to combat bird flu risk

Poultry farmers can enhance year-round biosecurity to prevent avian influenza by focusing on vermin control, water management and human activity. Wild waterfowl such as geese, swans and ducks, are the…

PIGS

How a scoring tool can help close gaps in pig biosecurity

Biosecurity is the foundation of disease control on pig farms and a powerful driver of performance. But despite its importance, it can feel abstract on farm, leaving producers unsure what…

LAMBING

Advice on treatment for vaginal prolapse in ewes

Fitting a harness and administering anti-inflammatories is the best way to treat a very mild case of vaginal prolapse in a ewe. Compared with spoons or sutures, this treatment is…

Insights

ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

How even tiny losses in body condition impact dairy fertility

Small changes in body condition score – invisible to the human eye – can have a detrimental impact on fertility in the next lactation, a commercial study has shown. See…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Calf toys: What’s on offer and are they worth it?

Introducing toys into the calf pen can enhance the development and wellbeing of youngstock, helping them thrive and become resilient animals in adulthood. However, these should not be at the…

BOVINE TB

Bovine TB: Badger vaccination faces its defining test

Defra’s decision to expand badger vaccination and wind down intensive culling marks one of the most significant shifts in bovine TB policy for a decade. Beginning early next year, a…

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…

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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