Vtoquinol winner revealed

Locatim competition winners have now been announced, with the ten lucky entrants from all over the UK receiving a Ritchey Portasol Dehorner.

Its a really useful prize, I was planning to buy myself a new one, so I can put this one to good use, says Kath Swallow, from Dukesfield Hall Farm, Hexham who runs a unit of 80 suckler cows.

Healthy calves are very important to me not only from the welfare point of view but also because healthy calves help lead to a healthy profit margin.

Scours are caused by a mixture of bacteria such as E.coli and viruses such as rotavirus and coronavirus in the newborns gut. Calves are born with little in-built defence against these diseases as the placenta of cows does not allow the passage of immune protection to the calf.

If calves dont get sufficient colostrum they are at greater risk of illness such as Bovine Respiratory Disorder (BRD), continues Mrs Swallow. Affected calves grow more slowly and are susceptible to other diseases.

Business sense dictates that we need to ensure calves have all the protection they need from bacteria such as E Coli.

Mrs Swallow emphasizes the difficulties in ensuring newborn calves receive at least three litres of good quality colostrum in the first six hours of life.

Although Best Practice advice suggests the finest colostrum for new-born calves is always maternal, it is difficult to make sure they get enough good quality colostrum when the calf suckles directly. This is why I like to use a licenced colostrum product as back-up, she says.

Dairy and beef breeders have told us Locatim gives them protection and peace of mind and it does what it says on the bottle, says Vtoquinol product manager Susan Mitchell.

Calf scours are caused by pathogens that are present on most dairy farms, so ensuring calves have maximum protection makes good business sense.