For the farm sector, several of the last year's headlines have been dominated by political challenges and notifiable diseases (Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, 2024; Ruminant Health & Welfare, 2024). The recent BTV-3 outbreak and its associated media coverage have shone a light upon the importance of the role of production-animal veterinary surgeons in all aspects of the livestock sector (from on-farm through to the halls of Westminster), and the importance of clear and effective communication – especially when communicating with the public and others without the ‘technical’ or scientific background, which we all share.
On a local level, having an effective vet-farmer relationship is vital to drive long-term change on our clients' farms by working with clients to understand their wants, needs and aims (Crowe and Oxtoby, 2019). However, it can also allow for more investigatory work, allowing opportunities to identify important conditions that have existed on UK farms for a long time, but often go underdiagnosed or unnoticed. One such condition is udder cleft dermatitis, and we welcome the review article in this edition as an opportunity to shine a light on a condition which is not always presented to the attending veterinarian but can have a significant impact on both animal welfare and productivity.
The animal health and welfare pathway has funded a considerable amount of veterinary time on farms, providing opportunities to explore areas such as endemic and parasitic diseases, their control, prevalence and management.
As part of the same government scheme, the ‘supporting stockmanship’ trials will continue in 2025, with pilot farms receiving funding for vet-led training that covers best practices in pain management during disbudding and castration (cattle), along with funding in the pig sector to trial incorporating action- and outcome-based payments to reduce the stressors that lead to tail-biting (pigs) (gov.uk, 2024).
Small ruminants have been at the forefront of many headlines in the last twelve months, with BTV-3 having a significant impact throughout Europe, and other diseases such as PPR affecting animals in Greece and Romania for the first time in 25 years. Concerningly, NFU reported that the UK cost of livestock worrying has risen by nearly 30% (livestock seriously injured or killed in dog attacks in the last twelve months were valued at £2.4 million) (NFU, 2024).