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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

HEALTH AND WELFARE

How wide hedges tightened farm's biosecurity

New 5m-wide, double-fenced hedges are helping protect stock from infectious disease as well as enhancing biodiversity on a Northumberland beef and sheep farm. “It’s good biosecurity before the trees have…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

How multi-pronged health focus raised flock performance

Lower-than-average scanning and rearing percentages on a Denbighshire sheep farm persuaded a father and daughter team to seek help for a solution. As they discovered, it is rare to get…

HOUSING AND HANDLING

How two farmers improved handling facilities for TB testing

TB testing can be one of the most demanding and dangerous jobs on a cattle farm, particularly in high-risk areas where frequent testing is required. Well-designed handling facilities can transform…

FEED AND NUTRITION

How willow can help provide vitamin B12 to growing lambs

The use of willow for browsing by lambs is being rolled out on a Northumberland farm to help address a cobalt deficiency. The move follows on-farm field trials which, despite…

SHEEP

How regular body condition scoring aims to improve scanning

Treating only underperforming lambs for worm burdens has seen a Welsh sheep farm cut its wormer use by more than 45% while maintaining weights and performance. Montgomeryshire farmers Glyn and…

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…

Practical advice

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LIVESTOCK DISEASES

Advice for dealing with bluetongue as cases spread rapidly

North Devon-based Torch Farm and Equine Vets were called out to their first suspected case of bluetongue (BTV) on 7 July. In less than a month (up to 3 August),…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Benefits of practical approach to dry cow therapy protocols

Research and tighter rules on antibiotics use have given one Somerset dairy farm the push it needed to move away from blanket dry cow therapy and adopt a more selective…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

10-step checklist to prevent and control heifer mastitis

Heifers with an elevated somatic cell count in early lactation might remain in trouble for their whole lactation. Data suggests they may average about 1kg/day less milk over the lactation,…

MEDICINES

How pain relief and fluid therapy can benefit ruminants

For prey species like cattle, expressing pain is risky, as it signals weakness to predators. Knowing this helps us understand why they appear so stoic, even when they are in…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

3 milking settings to check that help lower mastitis risk

Herds with excellent control of environmental hygiene can nevertheless struggle with environmental bacteria infecting cows during lactation. In such cases, a milking time assessment may provide some answers. While parlour…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

3 focus areas for managing mastitis risk in robotic herds

A focus on key problem areas for mastitis control in automatic milking systems has informed updates to the Mastitis Control Plan for robotic dairy units. Deliverers of the plan are…

Insights

NEWS

Bluetongue: Is the UK’s strategy keeping pace?

The rapid spread of bluetongue this summer has reignited the debate over whether government and industry have done enough to prepare for a disease that many now believe is becoming…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

How fore-milking can increase mastitis detection by 146%

Research conducted on Irish dairy farms showed fore-stripping increased clinical mastitis detection by up to 146%. The finding led PhD student Rachael Millar to conclude that clinical mastitis may be…

LIVESTOCK

How biomarkers can help uncover hidden flock health issues

As poultry production systems become increasingly data driven, producers are generating more information than ever before – but turning those figures into practical management decisions remains a challenge. While modern…

DAIRY

Heat-stress strategies for grazing cows tested in NZ herds

Finding ways to mitigate heat stress for cows at grass each summer is posing an increasing challenge as spells of high temperatures become commonplace. But next year, there will be…

BEEF

Beef welfare strategy aims to make cattle thrive, not cope

A proactive and preventative approach to animal health, well-trained stockpeople, and an environment that enables beef cattle to thrive, underpin the ruminant sector’s latest strategy to improve welfare. The Beef…

POULTRY

Why more efficient egg production requires vaccination rethink

Hitting the current 72-week average laying cycle in free-range egg production was once considered exceptional, but it is not uncommon now to see white bird flocks in-lay for 110 weeks.…

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…

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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