This week I found myself staring at an empty field. I was somewhat surprised by this as – as far as I could tell as a human – it was a beautiful day to be outside: sunny, a pleasant 19°C and the...
A review paper on heat stress was published by Lemal et al (2023) (10.3168/jds.2022-22727). Heat stress implies unfavourable effects on primary and functional traits in dairy cattle and, in...
We all have an opinion on why Gen Z don't want to be farm vets. It is important to acknowledge the barriers that are preventing those from joining our sector of the profession and not be dismissive of...
October 2022 saw the launch of the new Lantra-approved Cattle Foot Health courses to help vets and foot trimmers teach best foot trimming practice to farmers. The author reflects on what she hopes to...
As farm animal clinical practice continues to evolve, it is timely to gather expert opinion on, and form an evidence base for, the practical skill requirements for new graduates entering UK farm...
Genomic selection increases accuracy and decreases generation interval, accelerating genetic changes in populations. Genetic trends of American dairy cattle breeds were examined by Guinan et al (2023)...
The current surveillance programme is adequate for detecting infected herds, but inadequate for detecting infectious animals. The skin test (SICCT; Figures 2 and 3) and gamma interferon tests...
At this time of year when healthy eating is promoted heavily, with some advocating a plant-based diet, this paper is pertinent to the discussion. Red meat is a nutrient-dense food and a dietary staple...
The odds of a cow having sole ulcers declined by 32% for every point increase in lameness advantage in the animals taking part..
Eradicating BVD has many benefits for cattle industries. These range from removing financial restrictions to increasing farm profitability. The reduction in disease burden accounts for this, and...
