Menu

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

BLUETONGUE

Farmers told 'not too late' to vaccinate against bluetongue

Dairy farmers are being urged to vaccinate against BTV-3 if they haven’t already, with vets warning midges are still active and the disease will overwinter. “Everybody in England should consider…

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

Bluetongue: What farmers need to know as cases climb

Bluetongue cases are continuing to spread from the initial north Devon hotspot, with vets reporting a sharp increase in calls from concerned farmers. Tom Clarke, clinical director at Synergy Farm…

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),…

PIGS

5 steps to achieve good pig farm biosecurity

Given the ever-present threat of notifiable disease African swine fever, Young National Pig Association members have made a range of pledges to help improve biosecurity on pig farms. Everyone has…

See all

Case studies

DAIRY

How spate of returns to service led to Q fever diagnosis

Striving for high health status together with efficient production from a block-calving, grazing system hit a snag in 2023 for Dorset dairy farmer Nick Tuke. A portion of cows in…

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

How bluetongue vaccination decisions affected two flocks

There was never any doubt that David Rendle would vaccinate his flock for bluetongue. He had done so last year, when there were few cases in his area, and this…

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.…

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.…

See all

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…

See all

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…

See all

News

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

Farmers urged to watch for Shamonda virus

Farmers in Northern Ireland are being urged to monitor livestock closely after Shamonda virus (Shav) was detected on two farms in the Republic of Ireland. Department of Agriculture, Environment and…

BOVINE TB

Residual TB infection puts cleared herds at risk

Governments across Great Britain have been grappling with bovine TB for decades, yet many farmers continue to experience repeated breakdowns and prolonged disruption. Questions over skin test interpretation, wildlife management…

NEWS

Fallen sheep numbers surge in bluetongue-hit areas

Fallen adult sheep collections rose sharply in parts of England during August as the ongoing bluetongue outbreak gathered pace, new figures show. Data supplied to Farmers Weekly by the National…

NEWS

Bluetongue testing delays blamed on sample bottleneck

Animal health officials say sample-processing bottlenecks, not lack of laboratory capacity, caused the bluetongue testing delays this summer. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (Apha) and Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD)…

See all

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…

See all

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…

See all

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…

See all