Farm practice

Figure 1. Sensitive management of pastures can foster plants such as this bee orchid (Ophrys apifera)

Parasite control in regenerative livestock farming

A core principle of regenerative agriculture in both crop production and animal husbandry is the maintenance and improvement of soil structure and function, with emphasis on its biology and organic...

Why aren't students choosing farm animal practice and what can be done about it?

To the author it is clear: as a profession we must do better to support and encourage students to pursue careers in farm animal practice. With this relying on vets working in clinical practice just as...

Figure 3. Increasing contact during rearing improves relationships.

The importance of the human–animal relationship for commercial farms

The health and welfare of livestock is paramount on farm, and the need to reduce stress and fear is included in the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The influence of human behaviour on animals should be...

Figure 5. An example of a change in farm management — case study 1.

Regenerative agriculture — the practices involved and its position within modern agricultural systems

There is no singular, approved definition of regenerative farming, as highlighted by a review of 28 different studies (Schreefel et al, 2020). Robert Rodale (1930–1990) first coined the term...

Figure 1. Red clover (Trifolium pratense), a perennial legume, that will last 3–5 years. It is higher in protein content and has greater nitrogen fixing capacity than white clover seen below in Figure 2.

Impact of phyto-oestrogens on reproductive health of sheep

Phyto-oestrogens are all non-steroidal compounds that can bind to oestrogen receptors. The compounds found in plants of agricultural and veterinary importance include isoflavones and coumestans. The...

Prioritising antibiotic selection in farm animal practice

As has been demonstrated by multiple veterinarians and veterinary practices across the UK, moving towards ever more responsible antibiotic prescribing in line with the AMEG guidelines is certainly...

Medicine storage

Areas of medicine storage, where veterinanians should be concerned, can be illustrated by a personal study that has taken place over 20 years (Carr personal observations) (Table 1)..

The RUMA Alliance targets: an overview

The TTF group was conceived in spring 2016 in response to Lord Jim O'Neill's seminal AMR review (O'Neill, 2016). The report, commissioned by the UK government in 2014 to assess the global problem of...

Figure 1. Change in total veterinary spend over 3 years, LLM Farm Vets Vet Invest Report.

Antimicrobial resistance: how changes have improved practices in the UK dairy industry

AMR rarely causes clinical problems on dairy farms, so although AMR is causing increased global concern, it can be hard for the farmer-veterinary surgeon team to relate to this practically when...

Figure 3. Direct external access to the postmortem room to reduce cross-contamination of other practice facilities.

How to set up a postmortem facility in a farm animal practice

Clients should be able to deliver carcasses along with an appropriate history/submission form, directly to the postmortem facility without bringing them through the practice building/s. Carcasses (and...

Figure 1. Group housing of pigs, which allows for social interactions (courtesy of Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board Pork).

Livestock cognition: stimulating the minds of farm animals to improve welfare and productivity

The cognitive ability of farm animals has been studied with increasing prevalence and it has become evident that many species have more complex abilities than previously thought (Nawroth et al, 2019).

Figure 2. Midday January 4th, from the back of the hospital.

Surviving the Australian Black Summer bushfires: a veterinary perspective

The Bega Valley is a dairy area located on the far South Coast of New South Wales between Sydney and Melbourne. Bega and Cobargo Veterinary Hospital is a 10-veterinary surgeon mixed practice. The main...