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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

How a Somerset dairy cut mastitis cases by 40% in two years

A free monthly report summarising mastitis and somatic cell count patterns prompted changes to dry cow management and milking routine at Westford Park Farm, Chard. Together, these led to a…

DAIRY

How three dairy farmers maintain high-yielding herds

What is the secret to achieving high yields of more than 10,000 litres a cow a year? Asked how they maintain high levels of production in their dairy enterprises, three…

WHATS IN YOUR LIVESTOCK SHED

What’s in Your Livestock Shed? visits a converted calf shed

Historically, a high incidence of pneumonia had impacted calf health at The Brook, Tybroughton, near Whitchurch, Shropshire, and there were consequences for performance when animals joined the milking herd. In…

DAIRY

How milking protocol reset helped mastitis management

When mastitis levels peaked at 25 cases in every 100 cows and somatic cell count spiked in the second half of the lactation, Ifan Ifans knew action was needed. Ifan…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Why vaccination is not a silver bullet for calf pneumonia

Calf pneumonia prevention relies on high standards of housing, nutrition and husbandry. Lara Robinson-Fletcher of Daleside Veterinary Group offers her expert advice. See also: How to make routine dairy tasks easier…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

How one farm protects flock health with ultrasound scans

Ultrasound lung scanning is being used as part of the armoury to protect flock health at one Scottish Borders farm. Rob Parrish runs a 364ha (899-acre) organic mixed enterprise in…

Practical advice

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HEALTH AND WELFARE

Advice on maintaining a healthy rumen

The dairy cow’s rumen is a large bioreactor, home to a diverse and dense population of microbes. A single teaspoon of ruminal content contains 150bn micro-organisms, which act in co-ordination…

DAIRY

Five ways to achieve zero treatments and losses in calves

Getting the basics right – consistently – and putting calves first led to a four-year period of zero treatments and zero losses in calves for Canadian vet and dairy farmer…

DAIRY

5 heritable traits to improve mastitis and cell counts

Udder health traits can have a profound effect on milk price and herd profitability.  Genetics are among many factors that have helped improve udder health, such as better tools for…

POULTRY

The benefits and uses of lucerne in poultry production

Lucerne is becoming more commonplace in UK poultry systems because of the benefits the crop provides to the welfare and productivity of flocks. Lucerne bales provide hens with important foraging…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Advice on minimising disease risks in market-bought calves

Calf rearers buying stock from the mart should accept that the disease risk will be high and plan with their vet to create a farm-specific approach to calf health. There…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

7 ways to lower the risk of 'rumen drinking'

How quickly calves consume milk and at what height they drink could be contributing to calf mortality on dairy farms and calf-rearing enterprises, according to Scottish data. Rumen drinking is…

Insights

LIVESTOCK

How a farm vet team cut antibiotics use in calf castrations

Antibiotics use in surgical calf castration by a south of England vet practice fell by nearly 60% in one year following a clinical audit. Tonia Simms, clinical director at Hampden…

OFC

OFC 2025: How gene editing in pigs can help eliminate disease

The Oxford Farming Conference returns next January with Farmers Weekly as the media partner. Farmers Weekly talks to one of the speakers, Dr Craig Lewis. The son of a pig…

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…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Analysis: What farmers need to know about bluetongue

The current outbreak of bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) is likely to get worse in the coming weeks before it improves, warn industry leaders. Since the first case in this…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

How a ‘big squeeze’ could help dummy calves to suck

Neonatal maladjustment syndrome in calves – also known as “dummy calf” syndrome – can be a challenge for dairy farmers to manage, often requiring extra labour to tube-feed youngstock. Typically,…

BOVINE TB

Brian May - ‘Badgers are irrelevant in cattle TB spread’

Queen guitarist and animal rights campaigner Sir Brian May has staked his life on badgers playing no role in the bovine TB nightmare for farmers. He believes badgers do not…

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

Could the pig industry survive African swine fever?

As the largest animal disease outbreak ever recorded, African swine fever (ASF) poses a real threat to our domestic pig industry. How ready is the UK for a potential incursion?…

PIGS

Pig tech promises 5-day advantage detecting coughs

A listening device that monitors coughing in pigs can alert the producer to the onset of respiratory disease up to five days earlier than farm personnel. SoundTalks, launched across the…

PIGS

Irish trial shows benefits of microbes for piglet gut health

Feeding piglets microbes from birth to support gut health can reduce scours, lower routine antibiotics use and improve average daily gain, research carried out at a commercial pig farm in…

LIVESTOCK

Q&A: All you need to know about bluetongue disease

With bluetongue disease on the increase again in mainland Europe and with midge activity expected to gather pace as the weather warms up, Farmers Weekly spoke to Defra deputy chief…

FARM POLICY

Analysis: What a live exports ban means for farmers

A ban on the live export of animals for slaughter and fattening from Great Britain could be introduced in just a few months as part of a manifesto commitment by…

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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