National Healthy Livestock Projects
Farm Health Planning – Cattle Initiative
Defra is funding 27 projects in the beef and dairy sectors in England to promote the use of active farm health planning. The projects aim to:-
- Show that farm health planning has many benefits at farm level which include healthy animals and healthy profits;
- Raise awareness of farm health planning, planning tools and cost benefit models through targeted communications, advice and training;
- Generate a network of farm health planning champions and advocates to promote the benefits and practicalities of farm health planning to the rest of industry.
See the Defra webpages:http://www.defra.gov.uk/fhp/cattle/cattle-initiative.htm
Farm Health Planning Models
‘Twelve models are now available to vets, advisers and farmers allowing them to discover the potential cost of disease to the farm business and the benefits of effective control measures.
Developed by Reading University in partnership with Defra and industry, the models allow the user to input farm specific details and disease assumptions, see the potential cost of disease and the difference that disease control measures might make.
The models have a number of potential uses. They can be used by a vet or adviser with a farmer to explore the possible costs associated with a disease and the likely benefits of different methods of control or act as a useful ‘conversation tool’ to discuss with farmers their disease control methods. The models can also be used as a demonstration tool with farmers, or farmer groups, to show farmers the risks that their business might face due to a particular disease and how different control measures can help to reduce those risks, and at what potential cost.
All the models can be accessed via the Reading University website at:
National Fallen Stock
The National Fallen Stock Scheme aims to provide a national service for the collection and disposal of fallen stock and was designed to assist farmers and horse owners to comply with the Animal-By-Products Regulation which prevents on-farm burial of fallen stock.
It is a voluntary option for farmers to use the scheme; it is hoped that by providing a reliable, low cost means of disposal the scheme will prompt competition for the service keeping prices low and raising levels of biosecurity. Until November 2008 the Scheme’s charges have been offset using Government contribution funding. This contribution is currently set at 10%.
The Royal Veterinary College Beef Suckler Project
This is a 3 year programme over two winters 2008-2011. It is a £1.3million project in conjunction with the Royal Veterinary College and the University of Reading. It studies 120 beef suckler farms situated mostly in Devon and Shepton Mallet in Somerset.
The project will seek to evaluate the epidemiological and economic impact of a methodology for risk assessment and management of biosecurity includes TB on beef suckler farms in England and Wales using an intervention study.
The results from this study will inform disease management in beef suckler herds, and contribute to the evidence base for the formulation of strategies under Defra’s new Animal Health & Welfare strategy.
The project will aim to determine the epidemiological and economic effectiveness of risk management strategies tailored to individual farms in reducing the risk of introduction and spread of infectious diseases in beef suckler cattle herds in England and Wales.
The theory being tested is that the risk of introduction and spread of infectious diseases will be lower amongst beef suckler cattle herds adopting farm-specific biosecurity risk management strategies compared with beef suckler cattle herds using standard management practices. It will also seek to determine whether the use of farm-specific biosecurity risk management strategies is cost-effective for beef suckler cattle herds.
Vet surveillance
Veterinary surveillance is the term used to describe everything Defra does both to collect information about diseases affecting animals and to make sure that the information gets to those who need it. The 10-year UK Veterinary Surveillance Strategy was launched in October 2003.
See the Defra webpage http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/vetsurveillance/whatsnew.htm to learn ‘what’s new’ in vet surveillance.
The future of Farm Animal Veterinary Practice
Please see the article in this link http://www.vetclick.com/news/view_article.php?ArticleId=155
