Farm News

It is really important that the products we place on the market, whether they are milk or meat, are fit for human consumption by being free from disease and contamination.

The types of vaccines used vary from farm to farm and whether the herd is predominantly dairy cow or suckler cattle. Routine veterinary treatments are also farm specific. This article will refer mainly to the beef suckler cow enterprises.

Whether you have dairy cows or beef sucklers, calving time is the most important stage of the production cycle.

Ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA, also known as Jaagsiekte) is an infectious and fatal lung disease of sheep.

MRL stands for Maximum Residue Limit which is the legally allowed maximum concentration of a veterinary medicine allowed in either milk or meat.

Leptospirosis can have a severe effect on a farm, costing the farmer an estimated £69-£106 per cow in an infected herd. Weigh that against a vaccine costing around £5 per cow and you could wonder why only 20% of farmers are estimated to vaccinate their herd.

Lameness is one of the most widespread problems facing the UK sheep flock. An estimated 3 million sheep, at any given time are lame, costing the sheep industry in excess of £24 million every year.

Costing the UK sheep industry up to £2 million a year, abortion in sheep is common. But, it shouldn’t be seen as an inevitable part of the reproductive cycle for your flock.

Clinical milk fever (hypocalcaemia) is a metabolic disorder caused by low blood calcium that effects on average 4 - 9% of dairy cows before and after calving. It costs farmers around £220 per cow that suffers with it and can be fatal, even with treatment.

Everyone deserves a bit of time off and that includes dairy cows. Milking and calving is stressful in terms of energy for the ladies so, a little r and r is essential for good health management. Happy, healthy cows = productive cows.