Edge area strategy a sensible approach to bovine TB
Defra has today announced measures that will be put in place in the areas surrounding the high incidence areas in the south and west including increased levels of TB testing of cattle in the wake of a new TB outbreak and targeted use of badger vaccination, as well as projects to determine the level of […]
HGCA leads £1.5m investment into feed research
HGCA is contributing £650k to the research, which aims to benefit growers and feed processors by examining the effects of feed quality on animal performance and developing quicker tests for nutritional quality. Additional funding has been secured from government and industry sources. Dr Martin Grantley-Smith, HGCA Head of Business Development, said: “HGCA is investing in […]
Cross Compliance failures cost farmers £1.4 million
The Rural Payments Agency has released figures today for the number of breaches in 2012 to make farmers aware of the common errors so that they can avoid penalties in the future. The figures show that there was a slight reduction in the total number of failures from 2,046 in 2011 to 1,947 last year. […]
Milk production stays within UK’s quota
RPA has confirmed that there will be no wholesale or direct sales levy for the 2012/13 quota year. The United Kingdom wholesale milk deliveries totalled 13.0 billion litres – 2.0 billion litres under the national wholesale quota. The UK’s direct sales amounted to 115.0 million litres – 27.6 million litres under the national direct sales […]
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 […]
NPA calls for food companies to ban all imports from ‘medieval’ farms
Therefore retailers and food manufacturers must continue to be vigilant, warns Britain’s National Pig Association. It argues that British consumers expect all imported pork and pork products to be traceable back to farms that comply with the European Union’s January 2013 ban on the full-time use of sow stalls. According to new data from the […]
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 […]
