RUMA challenges claims of ‘staggering’ impact on human health from farm antibiotics
RUMA is disappointed that an inaccurate press release from the Soil Association led to these reports in The Sunday Times and The Daily Mail. Mr FitzGerald said that research into antibiotic resistance in The Netherlands had initially suggested a link between resistant bacteria in humans and poultry and had estimated the number of deaths that […]
Vet associations cautious as TB tendering plans revealed
The new model, covering England and Wales, will include: Contracts being awarded to approximately ten Delivery Partners to supply a flexible package of veterinary services, including TB testing and other government-funded services, such as brucellosis testing, on the basis of regional or national lots; The procurement of a single supplier responsible for providing a comprehensive […]
Lungworm could be a threat following storms
Other highlights from the forecast, which is issued to vets and SQPs in the UK, include a lower risk of Parasitic Gastroenteritis (PGE) among sheep, lower snail infection rates for liver fluke and a continuing risk of blowfly strike. The period between August and October sees a heightened risk of clinical lungworm disease. The hot, […]
Research project investigates sheep nutrition
Nutritional recommendations for ewe diets were developed around 50 years ago, yet much has changed in terms of breeds used, ewe weights, productivity and birth-weights. Currently, there is a reliance on the use of soya bean meal – an expensive and imported protein source. This project aims to provide evidence of how substituting some of the […]
Surveillance cameras reveal how frequently badgers enter farms
Surveillance cameras installed on 75 farms in the south west have captured footage of badgers visiting farms a part of the Farm Assessment Toolkit project by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) to help farmers take steps to ‘badger-proof’ farm buildings and reduce the risk of tb spreading from wildlife to their herds. […]
12,000 cattle slaughtered in first four months of 2013 due to bovine TB
12,061 cattle were compulsorily slaughtered in Great Britain during January to April 2013 due to bovine TB, new figures published by Defra reveal. In England alone, 9,503 cattle were slaughtered due to the disease. Farming minister David Heath said: “Once again these figures show the very real need to stop TB from its relentless march […]
NPA calls for help keeping deadly disease out of Britain
Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea virus has been present in this country in a mild form for over 40 years. But new strains which have spread from China to the United States are wiping out whole generations of newly-born pigs — and there is no effective treatment. It is essential the new strains are kept out of […]
Strategy for England to become bTB free within 25 years
The strategy sets out action in areas such as disease surveillance, pre- and post-movement cattle testing, removal of cattle exposed to bTB, tracing the potential source of infection and wildlife controls including culling and vaccination trials. It also focuses on the development of new techniques such as badger and cattle vaccines and new diagnostic tests […]
Meat from TB infected cattle – government TB management system failing ‘from farm to fork’ says wildlife charity
Meat from more than 20,000 cattle per year infected with bovine TB (bTB) has been allowed into the food chain by the government, posing an unnecessary risk to human health, according to a report in the Sunday Times yesterday. Acting on information given to a journalist by Care for the Wild, the newspaper has revealed […]
