TB Edge Vaccination Scheme announced
Bill Harper of the NBA TB Committee has given a guarded welcome to the recently announced Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme (BEVS). The scheme which was announced by Gavin Ross, Head of TB Programme for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), is designed to aid in the control of endemic TB in the […]
Work with your vet to prevent common problems, urges BVA
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is encouraging farmers to work proactively with their vet to avoid common health concerns such as musculoskeletal conditions, infertility and mastitis. The BVA is urging farmers to seek early treatment as a new survey revealed that these are the most common reasons for vets to be called out to farms. […]
Antimicrobial resistance and anthelmintic resistance
Antimicrobial resistance receives considerable media attention in medical, veterinary and wider literature so conscientious practitioners are left in no doubt as to best practice. The key points are summarized in the BVA 8-point plan1, the first of which urges practitioners to work with clients to avoid the need for antimicrobials, primarily through integrated disease control […]
First case of MRSA found in UK pig
The Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics is calling on the government to urgently carry out a full MRSA survey of the UK pig industry to determine how widespread the superbug is after the first-ever case in a UK pig was found in Northern Ireland [1][2]. The Alliance is also calling for immediate restrictions to be […]
Swine influenza in a third of herds
Aggregated data from surveys in Scotland and Northern Ireland show that more than a third of herds surveyed are positive for swine influenza, according to Merial Animal Health. Between the surveys just over 280 farms were assessed and serology demonstrated that 34% were positive1 2. This compares to research on pig farms in England carried […]
Cure not Kill – Government presses ahead with badger vaccination scheme
Plans to vaccinate badgers in areas close to high-risk bovine TB (bTB) hotspots have been launched today by Defra. The move, welcomed by Care for the Wild and the Badger Trust, will fund charities and other organisations to inoculate badgers against the disease which leads to the deaths of thousands of cows each year. The […]
Replace, Reduce, Refine – A way forward for use of antibiotics in agriculture
A framework for replacement, reduction and refinement needs to be established for the responsible use of antimicrobials along the food supply chain. This is one of the main findings put forward by a top-level roundtable, Antimicrobials – Who Needs Them, chaired by the sustainable farming research and development business, the Food Animal Initiative, and pharmaceutical […]
Farmer’s journey ‘to hell and back’ after first ever positive TB test
A farmer whose herd of pedigree Jersey cows was established 110 years ago by his great-grandfather has told how his family has been “to hell and back” following the farm’s first positive TB test. Ian Corner said he hadn’t brought any animals onto his farm in Oxfordshire for 14 years and his cows had no […]
MPs told: Owen Paterson is ‘playing politics’ with wildlife protection
Owen Paterson made no attempt to meet the Independent Expert Panel following the publication of their highly critical report into last year’s pilot badger culls, according to panel member Professor Tim Coulson. Speaking at meeting on Monday hosted by the Badger Trust & Care for the Wild and attended by over 40 MPs, researchers and […]
