Opinion

Lameness: a welfare perspective

Do lame cows go thin or do thin cows go lame? Low body condition score predisposes cows to lameness (Lim et al, 2015; Randall et al, 2015), but it has also been demonstrated that lame cows exhibit...

Bovine viral diarrhoea: (nearly) 15 years of work

Under the guidance of experts from Scotland's Rural College, the Royal Veterinary College and veterinarians within Wales, a stakeholder group convened in a Welsh Government building to grapple with...

The canine DNA recovery project: preventing livestock injuries and fatalities

One of the biggest challenges faced in managing dog attacks on livestock is accurately identifying the responsible dog. The CDnaRP provides confirmatory evidence, removing ambiguity and allowing us to...

Improving testing and treatment of respiratory disease in calves

CVS' Dyfed Farm Vets is undertaking a project to improve the use of diagnostic testing of respiratory disease in calves to better manage herds, guide appropriate treatments and reduce the unnecessary...

Time to reframe animal health planning?

Assurance schemes are voluntary schemes that establish and regulate standards covering food safety, animal welfare and environmental protection. A farm-to-fork review of UK farm assurance schemes is...

Managing the risk of ketosis

Monensin achieves its effect by increasing propionic acid production in the rumen. This was previously believed to be a consequence of a greater effect of monensin on Gram-positive bacteria than on...