The recent cold snap has certainly slowed grass growth; a few cows have still been seen making the most of the dry weather. I fear winter could yet have a sting in the tail!
The dry weather may well reduce the fluke infection rate this spring. To save wasting money on product that isn’t required (and contributing to flukicide resistance) it may well be worth checking for fluke eggs in dung samples. We can do this here at the surgery and will generally get you results on the same day.
Coccidiosis remains one of the most commercially important diseases of young lambs, usually occurring between 3 and 12 weeks of age, but they can be older. Clinically affected lambs typically show scouring, dehydration and weight loss. The sub-clinical disease (lambs not showing clinical signs) is of equal importance as this can lead to a significant reduction in weight gain. As the lambing season progresses and the number of susceptible lambs on farm increases this is when coccidiosis can appear, sometimes as an explosive outbreak. There are a few control options for prevention of clinical signs and reducing the environmental build up. These include drenches and in feed options; please speak to the team to discuss your best control option.
The Outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza continues within the UK with new cases having slowed but still occurring. All domestic birds should continue to be housed until told otherwise.
The University of Bristol is looking for over 18 year-olds who work with infected TB cattle in the SW of England to take part in a study looking at bovine TB in the human population. If you are interested in taking part drop-in anytime between 11am-2pm to the White Hart at Wrington on 13th March. You will need to complete a short questionnaire and provide a blood sample. Check your eligibility at http://redcap.link/zootb.
Don’t forget about ‘The Annual Health and Welfare Review’; this is a funded annual farm visit, and initially only BPS (Basic Payment Scheme) eligible farmers will be able to register. To be eligible for a review a farm must have one of the following: 11 or more beef or dairy cattle, 21 or more sheep, and/or 51 or more pigs. More information about eligibility and registration – https://apply-for-an-annual-health-and-welfare-review.defra.gov.uk/apply/register-your-interest . We have a number of farms that have applied successfully already without too much bother!
As with all these things there is a fairly standard format but there is a reasonable amount of latitude to cover any health aspects you feel would be worthy of further investigation or discussion. The payments are £522 for a beef cattle review, £372 for a dairy cattle review, £436 for a sheep review and £684 for a pig review. Obviously, we are keen that this money is utilised and the health of the animals under our care benefit.