Badger cull called off – for now
Natural England, which is managing the cull, is pulling the plug on shooting as of tomorrow (Saturday) lunchtime. A revised target of killing 58% of badgers in the zone had been set following the initial cull period, but this has also been missed by the gunmen. Dominic Dyer, Policy Advisor for Care for the Wild, […]
Claims that ‘high number of badgers are sick’ undermined by Welsh research
Consistent claims by the UK government that badgers are very sick with TB and at a high risk of spreading disease to other badgers and cattle have been shot to pieces by statistics from the Welsh Government Badger Vaccination Project. Environment Minister Owen Paterson has justified the current badger cull many times by claiming or […]
New DVD addresses animal welfare needs in road traffic accidents
The training programme was produced in collaboration with the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service and livestock transport vehicle manufacturers by livestock engineering consultant Peter Kettlewell and livestock transport consultant Eddie Harper MBE, co-sponsored by the Humane Slaughter Association, the Royal Bath and West of England Society and Crowe Livestock (Amlin plc). It covers all aspects […]
Dendoldrum is Top Dairy Farm in Scotland
The presentation of this prestigious title was made at AgriScot and this year’s assessor was Hugh McClymont of SRUC’s Crichton Royal Farm in Dumfries, who described the winner’s calf rearing, young stock and overall herd management as outstanding. Four finalists are selected anonymously from a top 100 for inspection by the assessor, with the emphasis […]
Treat any lame sheep before winter housing
Wet and muddy underfoot conditions are exacerbating sheep foot problems and flockmasters are being urged to implement the five-point disease reduction plan and certainly treat any lame sheep well before winter housing. “High rainfall in many areas and the relatively mild early autumn temperatures are combining to create the perfect environment for lameness problems to […]
Dairy prices to ease in first part of 2014?
As summarised in the previous issue of DMU (which can be found here), the outlook for 2013/14 global supplies is a steady increase, finishing slightly up on last year. The main factors behind rising production are strong farmgate milk prices, easing feed prices and (in some cases) higher cow numbers. Demand from the key importers […]
Strong support for next steps in BVD eradication plan for Scotland
The next phase of the programme will be introduced in January 2014 and will include restricting the movement of animals infected with BVD (persistently infected animals, known as PIs), temporary movement restrictions on herds that have not been tested, and compulsory declaration of herd status before movement. Guidance is being issued to all farmers and […]
Beware Pneumonia
Vets from Scotland’s Rural College are reminding farmers to beware of pneumonia in young stock. Respiratory disease in cattle affects animal welfare and leads to significant financial loss through reduced productivity, costly treatment and possible deaths. Experience shows the greatest risk is in the months of December and January, directly after cattle are housed. Farmers […]
Cattle-to-cattle outbreak in Durham gets to heart of bTB problem
Reported in the Northern Echo, farmers are quoted as being “unhappy that cattle from infected with TB were brought here from a high-risk area”. The Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, which works with Defra, said: “It is believed that the infection was inadvertently carried in cattle bought from a high risk area of the […]
