Have a quick watch of films about reducing, refining and replacing antibiotic use. Get some short, sharp inspiration from what others are doing.
Join AHDB Beef & Lamb and Dr Alexander Corbishley, a senior lecturer in farm animal health at the University of Edinburgh, for a webinar looking at the prevalence of and risk factors for poor colostrum antibody absorption in suckled calves. Research from the University of Edinburgh has shown that one in three British suckler calves would benefit from improving the amount of antibodies absorbed from colostrum. Calves rely on the transfer of antibodies from the cow via her colostrum within the first few hours of life to provide protection from disease. When insufficient antibodies are absorbed, calves are at serious risk of disease during the pre-weaning period and are more likely to need antibiotic treatment. The webinar will cover: • What is the difference between partial and complete failure of passive transfer? • Major risk factors for failure of passive transfer in calves • Nutrition in late pregnancy – energy balance and mineral status • Managing risk on your farm
Abi Reader and vet James Breed discuss the Farming Connect project which looked at antibiotic use on Abi's dairy farm and areas where use could be reduced sustianably.
Watch Philippa Page from Flock Health discuss the use of vaccines to prevent Enzootic Abortion of Ewes (EAE), which is responsible for 35% of lamb losses.
Some handy hints and tips on storing and thawing colostrum from Pyon
This video explains how people have been collecting colostrum from different animals but particularly sheep for feeding to newborn lambs.
What to expect: Calf care is possibly the most challenging job on the dairy farm, in part, because the milk-fed calves are the most likely to become ill. New ways of rearing calves are becoming available that can benefit both farmers and their calves, providing the potential for widespread improvements in calf care over the next decade. Join Nina von Keyserlingk to hear about these new approach to calf management. Nina and her team have dedicated many years to researching this important area to provide farmers with new insights and solutions to enhance calf survival, growth and wellbeing.
AHDB and Dr Tim Potter from Westpoint Farm Vets hosted a webinar on optimising dairy-bred calf health. Around half of the beef produced in England is a product of the dairy herd. Beef-cross-dairy calves that receive adequate nutrition and are in good health will achieve the best prices at sale, with rearers prepared to pay more for calves that will perform better throughout their lives and hit market specification when finished. The webinar covers Colostrum management, Latest research on milk replacers, Individual vs paired housing, Hygiene to improve health, Pneumonia – minimising the risks
Presented by Nicola Fair MRCVS, DairyCo Extension Officer, at the 2013 Calf health and welfare workshop, this short presentation looks at the aspects of housing which need to be considered when looking at calf housing.
Cryptosporidium in young calves can impact the animal not just during the time it is infected but throughout its growing period. Understanding the routes of infection and the role that management has to play in minimising risks are covered in this webinar with Dr Beth Wells of Moredun Research Institute.
Vaccines are an important tool to use in herd health programmes, however, the success of any vaccine is dependent on good management practices. There are many important considerations which are covered during this webinar recording with Dr Wendela Wapenaar, Clinical Associate Professor in Cattle Health and Epidemiology from the University of Nottingham. Before Nottingham, Wendela worked in farm practice in The Netherlands, New Zealand, Canada and the UK. Her teaching and research involves cattle reproduction, biosecurity, infectious disease control within farm animal and effective knowledge transfer of research findings into veterinary practice.
Mycoplasma bovis is a major contributor to calf pneumonia and the main Mycoplasma species identified in sick cattle in GB. Mycoplasma bovis causes concern to many farmer because it is difficult to treat. Colin will focus on current trends with Mycoplasma bovis, main routes of transmission, what to look out for, example of typical cases on farm, management strategies and reducing your risk.
This film brings together the key messages from the AHDB Calf to Calving programme, using interviews from host farmers and meeting attendees. It focuses on areas including colostrum testing, regular weighing, planning, vaccination, protocols and attention to detail. The video also features top tips for calf rearing.
AHDB Beef & Lamb ran a webinar with Fiona Lovatt of Flock Health Ltd on the effective use of vaccines to protect sheep flocks from disease. Whether in the control of lameness or abortion or to prevent unwanted losses, the correct use of vaccination is important for a proactive approach to flock management.
Pneumonia outbreaks have a serious effect on both the growth rates of young calves and their productivity as adult cattle. Preventing cases of pneumonia requires an all-round approach including use of vaccines to ensure cattle perform to their full potential, resulting in better returns for producers and a reduction in antimicrobial use.
Salmon farming has one of the most successful farm vaccination programmes in existence, protecting against the bacterial disease Furunculosis since the 1990s. This has virtually eliminated the need for antibiotic treatment to treat this condition.
Vet Rachel Clifton from the University of Warwick explains that vaccination for lameness in sheep is a whole flock procedure not just for individuals. It can help reduce lameness incidence if done as part of the whole five point plan.
The 14 minute film covers areas such as: Colostrum management; Nutritional scours; Antibiotics in milk; BVD - can we can live with this, or does it need to be top priority?
This video covers: Storage and use of the vaccine at the correct temperature; Using the vaccine at the correct time, interval, dose and route; Importance of good hygiene when using the vaccine and equipment; Ensuring adequate safety for people and animals involved; Ensuring accurate recording of vaccinations.
Webinar discussing how to use antibiotics responsibly at lambing including good colostrum management, with specialist sheep vet Dr Fiona Lovatt.
Proper care of newborn calves is critical for their long term health and survival. Ideally the calf should suckle sufficient quantities of colostrum. If a calf is unable to suckle a bottle, or consume the full amount of colostrum, then a stomach tube should be used.
Welsh sheep farmer Arwyn Jones and his vet Kate Hovers describe how a Farming Connect project has helped identify ways to reduce antibiotic use on-farm through better colostrum management.
See how changes to calf rearing at Jo Pile's Wiltshire farm, supported by vet Tim Potter and ABP Blade, means the need for antibiotic treatments is slashed and calves are healthier.
AHDB (Dairy and Beef & Lamb) hosted a webinar on 23 Sept 2015 with Kat Bazeley, Veterinary Surgeon with Synergy Farm Health looking at the importance of the early hours of a calf's life.
Kate Johnson's presentation at the 2013 calf health and welfare workshop, including effective colostrum management.
Testing colostrum is an important task that should be completed at every collection. The test results help you to make an informed decision as to whether the colostrum is good enough to be fed or stored, or needs to be discarded
Contamination during collection, transfer or feeding puts the calf at risk by introducing harmful bacteria when the calf has no active immunity to fight infection. Protect against this risk with the help of this video.
Colostrum is vital to the newborn calf as it contains antibodies (also known as immunoglobulins or IgG) to provide immunity and it is also rich in essential nutrients to provide energy for growth.
On Day 5 of World Antibiotic Awareness Week, watch how BQP Dalehead and Waitrose are working together to reduce antibiotic use on their pigs farms through biosecurity and switching to precision treatments only when needed.
Day 4 of World Antibiotic Awareness Week: Farmer's Weekly's Farmer of the Year Robert Neill and his vet from the Scottish borders describe how they've brought down the need for antibiotic treatments in Robert's beef suckler herd and his weaned calves.
On Day 3 of World Antibiotic Awareness Week, see how Oxfordshire beef farmer Ed Tims has been helped by his supply chain to reduce antibiotic use on his farm through improved animal health, eliminating disease and making sure he uses the right treatments.
For Day 2 of World Antibiotic Awareness Week 2017, see how game bird rearers and gamekeepers are working together with their vets to reduce the need for antibiotics in pheasants and partridges.
For Day 1 of World Antibiotic Awareness Week 2017, watch the ASDA, Arla, Kite and Solway Vet Pathfinders group explain how they've set up dairy herd benchmarking to reduce use of antibiotics.
The MilkSure initiative is for British dairy farmers. Its mission is to safeguard the production of wholesome milk which is free of veterinary medicine residues including antibiotics. MilkSure is led by DairyUK and has been developed in conjunction with BCVA (the British Cattle Veterinary Association).
A Public Health England and NHS campaign to raise awareness of antibiotic resistance.
Immediately following the news that sales of antibiotics to treat and prevent disease in UK farm livestock have achieved a 27% reduction over the past two years, targets for further reducing, refining or replacing antibiotic use were announced.
The British Veterinary Association describes what its members are doing to ensure antibiotics are used responsibly and antimicrobial resistance is being tackled.