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Know How / Livestock diseases

Expert advice on identifying and treating livestock diseases such as BVD, Johne’s disease, leptospirosis in cattle, navel ill in calves, orf in sheep, watery mouth in lambs and swine fever in pigs. See the latest thinking on controlling parasitic diseases and worms such as liver fluke and lungworm.

Advice and tips

DAIRY

Advice on vaccination protocols for dairy herds

Failure to adhere to vaccine protocols could prove to be an expensive mistake for dairy farms. Vet Sophie Prichard says such herds will not have optimal protection against disease and…

SHEEP

What role do sentinel lambs play in liver fluke control?

Testing young lambs through their first grazing season is becoming an increasingly popular technique to monitor fluke risk, say animal health experts. Focusing on these “sentinel” lambs for signs of…

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

Bluetongue virus: What to look out for and how to manage it

Bluetongue virus risk is at a seasonal low, but producers should be ready for that to change in spring. Bluetongue virus is an insect-borne disease that can affect all ruminants.…

PIGS

4 steps to tackle porcine respiratory disease complex

As winter sets in, so the risk of respiratory disease goes up. I have seen an increase in cases on several pig farms recently, especially following cold, dank days and…

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Case studies

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…

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

How changes to ventilation and bedding cut mastitis

For dairy farmer Pete Charles, a key driver in tackling mastitis was the effect on staff morale of constantly treating clinical cases and keeping milk out of the tank. He…

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

Closed policy yields 1.7 lambs reared for Durham flock

A string of flock health setbacks has forced a Durham family to rely on its own breeding to maintain high output in its stratified sheep outdoor lambing system.    Several iceberg…

PARASITIC DISEASES

How goat herd uses targeted parasite treatments

A Gloucestershire goat herd is successfully managing a low parasite risk with a treatment targeted at higher risk animals. The Whitehouse family’s fully housed and zero-grazed herd of 800 British…

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Community

LIVESTOCK

Farmer Focus: Calving difficulties cause extra work

Calving is nearing completion on our farm, with just five cows to calve at this stage. I’m ready for a break! The problems we had with difficult calvings on heifers…

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Insights

LIVESTOCK

Feed efficiency research reveals importance of cow grouping

Breeding dairy herds for feed efficiency can be negatively impacted on-farm by managing lactating cows in mixed parity groups. This is because of competition at the feed bunk and a…

DAIRY

Cow health strategy rethink needed after bolus loss

Dairy farms need to review their strategies for preventing metabolic disease in transition cows as monensin boluses are no longer on the market, said independent veterinary consultant Dr David Charles.…

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…

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…

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News

POULTRY

Poultry housing order extended in the north of England

A housing order for poultry and kept birds has been extended for the North of England from Monday (7 April) to help prevent further outbreaks of bird flu. The latest…

LIVESTOCK

Farmers reminded to vaccinate against clostridial diseases

Farmers are being reminded to vaccinate their lambs against clostridial disease, as data from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (Apha) show it consistently ranks among the most frequent diagnoses…

POULTRY

Free-range broilers to retain status during housing orders

Free-range broiler growers and processors will soon no longer need to alter labelling when mandatory housing measures are introduced during bird flu outbreaks. Currently, when housing measures are imposed to…

BOVINE TB

Dead badger study points to southern 'edge area' TB spread

New research has revealed the presence of Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis, in badgers found dead along the southern edge of England’s expanding TB epidemic. The study,…

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Opinion

BOVINE TB

FW Opinion: Wider review of slurry role in bovine TB needed

Queen guitarist and animal rights campaigner Brian May has shared with Farmers Weekly in some detail how, working with vet Dick Sibley, he has helped a Devon dairy farm regain…

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Test and reviews

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Buyer's guide to ketone testers for dairy farmers

Simple and quick tests that measure ketone levels in dairy cows are allowing farmers to act promptly with interventions to protect milk yields and herd performance. Subclinical ketosis can’t be…

DAIRY

Buyer's guide: Teat disinfection technology

As herd sizes increase and labour sourcing continues to create challenges, more farmers are turning to automated teat disinfection technologies to ease pressure in the parlour and promote efficiencies. Although…

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Video

BOVINE TB

Dairy farmer who suffered bovine TB hell exits industry

A Pembrokeshire farmer has made the difficult decision to sell his dairy unit and leave farming after suffering at the hands of bovine TB. Steve Evans, a fourth-generation farmer based…

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…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Video: Farmers plunge dip a mammoth 6,300 sheep in one day

Sheep farmers and contractors have carried out a mammoth 6,300-ewe plunge dipping day as part of a new joint venture between two businesses. Neil Fell, owner of NR Fell Mobile…

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

Video: How to use orf vaccine correctly on sheep

About one in five lambs – 900,000 – are affected by the highly contagious orf virus in England’s sheep flock each year according to MSD Animal Health. Added to that…

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