Pig producers in the UK face a diverse range of disease challenges and with 40% of the national herd outdoors, rearing units have diverse challenges so individual farm specific solutions for disease prevention and control are essential. They largely focus on good biosecurity, husbandry, nutrition and a robust herd health plan, to prevent and control […]
So, what is BVD? Across the UK BVD (Bovine Viral Diarrhoea) has become an increasingly worrying problem for cattle farmers. BVD is a virus that can have diverse effects on calves and cows including diarrhoea, calf pneumonia, reproductive disorders, increased occurrence of other diseases, and death. Ultimately, decreasing cattle performance and yields leading to reduced […]
With around 85% of the finished lamb market requiring E, U and R grades for conformation and 2 and 3L for fat class, prime lamb production is reliant on nutritional needs as well as good health and welfare to deliver and receive a premium from the market. Yet with around 40% of Prime lambs not […]
Best Practice for installing an Earthing System Ensuring the proper functioning of the earth system is essential for maintaining a consistent flow of electricity through the fence, thereby deterring animals or intruders effectively. Pel underground cable is double insulated galvanised steel or aluminium wire to reduce the risk of voltage leakage. Earth kits, equipped with […]
Exploring Your Eligibility for Grant Funding! With the latest release of grant funding from the government, the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund 2024 (FETF), offers three grants aimed at assisting you buy equipment or technology to: Improve productivity. Manage slurry. Improve animal health and welfare. Navigating through grant applications can sometimes be daunting. Here’s a […]
This is a pilot grant scheme. The scheme opens for applications on Monday 7th of September 2020 and closes to applications midnight Sunday 11th of October 2020. The Agricultural Transformation Programme (ATP) was announced in Programme for Government 2019-2020 to promote changes in the Scottish Agricultural sector to meet challenging Climate Change targets. We […]
The Farming Investment Fund This £27 million fund provides grants to farmers, growers, and foresters (including related contractors) so that they can invest in the things they need to improve productivity and enhance the natural environment. This includes new equipment, technology, and infrastructure. The Farming Investment Fund is made up of 2 parts: The Farming […]
When rearing healthier calves on milk replacer, good hygiene and nutrition is essential. But the first step is ensuring sufficient high-quality colostrum within 12 hours of birth. A newly born calf’s ability to absorb immunoglobulins in colostrum reduces significantly from about six hours and has gone completely by 24 hours (Source; AHDB Better Returns). If […]
Outwintering Outwintering whether on deferred grazing or brassicas supplemented by conserved forage can reduce costs by a very impressive 70% even though they need 10-20% more energy to do so. Considering the age of animals, what growth you want to achieve over winter or merely maintenance requirements. With mature stock, assess existing body condition score […]
Avoiding losses between scanning and lambing make a big impact on live lamb numbers. Abortion can be attributed to a few causes and protection from EAE and Toxoplasmosis is essential, we discuss causes, treatment and some useful vaccinator tips and suggestions. Get the facts and protect your flock. Credit: Mr […]
All BVD test samples from the Datamars tissue sample tag range previously tested by SAC are now processed by NMR in their extensive Glasgow laboratory. This change will take effect from 25th August 2023 after SAC announced they were no longer testing Datamars tissue tags. Any BVD tags and SAC tests samples already purchased from […]