More farmers battle TB as new figures show 3,000 cows are culled in one month
In the latest up-to-date figures released by Defra today 3,215 cattle were slaughtered across Great Britain in January, meaning a 24.2 per cent increase on the same time last year, and the month-on-month figures also show a jump. And in Wales the picture has worsened considerably despite a vaccination programme for badgers which had its […]
New research finds that cattle and badgers with TB rarely meet
Direct contact between badgers and cattle is rare, suggesting that it as a result it may be rare for bovine tuberculosis (TB) to be passed on through the two species meeting each other on pasture, new research by the Royal Veterinary College and the Food and Environment Research Agency published in the journal Epidemiology and […]
Pig wasting syndrome costing farmers millions
Stark new figures show that a common pig virus, present on 99 per cent of pig farms has major economic implications for individual farmers and the pig industry as a whole, costing British farmers as much as £84 per pig (if the pig dies from the syndrome), and during epidemic periods, such as 2008, costing […]
Unprecedented rainfall during 2012 brings increased risks for 2013
According to NADIS, the risks from parasites such as liver fluke have been greatly increased by last year’s weather – the worst rainfall the UK has seen since records began in 1910, there has also been a lack of frost which would ordinarily reduce the risk of diseases such as fluke. The National Animal Disease […]
Bovine TB still on the rise as thousands of cattle slaughtered
The number of cattle slaughtered in Great Britain as reactors or direct contacts increased by 10% to 37,753 in 2012, and this figure does not include those slaughtered as inconclusive reactors. The latest statistics also reveal that the number of farms tested has increased by nearly 18% as new measures have been put in place […]
Ramsgate report questions still remain
The report details the events at Ramsgate Port on 12 September 2012 that resulted in the deaths of the sheep that were due to be transported to France. NFU Deputy President, Meurig Raymond said: “We have been calling for this report to be released since the events in September, having sent over 150 questions to […]
Liver Fluke increase in sheep
There has been a tenfold increase in acute liver fluke cases in sheep in the last quarter of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011, according to AHVLA figures reported in the latest NADIS (National Animal Disease Information Service) Parasite Forecast. It says that the very wet conditions last summer will have resulted in […]
Lambing problems highlight the need for Schmallenberg vaccine
The call comes as many farms with early lambing flocks across the country have experienced higher than normal losses with still births and deformities ranging from fused limbs to twisted necks. The disease has spread across England and Wales to the Scottish border region and has now been confirmed on more than 1,000 UK farms. […]
Spreading Irish wings over Eastern Africa
I recently travelled to Eastern Africa to promote good veterinary practice and talk to livestock owners about Bimeda products. Bimeda sees its role in Africa to be about educating livestock owners about diseases, as well as providing solutions aimed at preventing and treating an enormous range of devastating diseases. My trip was a humbling and […]
