Author Posts: Sarah Kidby

Farmers who import live pigs or semen to the UK are being warned of the risks and reminded to follow protocols around PRRS.

With breeding sheep being traded from farm to farm, often via marts, this month the risk period for sheep scab transmission is heightened, Ulster Farmers’ Union has warned.

Over 100 MPs have signed a letter urging supermarkets to incorporate ‘Buy British’ sections on their online shops.

The ban on gatherings of galliforme poultry and galliforme birds – including chickens, turkeys, pheasants, partridges, quail and guinea fowl – has been lifted.

The AGCO Agriculture Foundation (AAF), a private foundation that aims to prevent and relieve hunger through sustainable agricultural development, has made the sizeable grant to The Country Trust in the UK.

Vets from the VetPartners group are lobbying their MPs to address the volatility of the milk market, as a time when farmers are facing increased costs.

The poultry industry has slammed claims by Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) that avian influenza is ‘spiralling out of control due to the rise of factory farming’.

Dairy farmers have an opportunity this year to clamp decent tonnages of quality maize silage, which could be a useful buffer with uncertain milk prices. But it will be crucial to avoid the top three most common harvest pitfalls.

As a recent survey highlights a 20% drop in scanning results last year, and industry data suggesting forage quality is low this year, Rumenco nutritionist Alison Bond highlights the importance of supplementation.

Outbreaks of late blight are springing up in potato crops across the country following an unusually wet July and early August. Fortunately, EU_43_A1 has yet to be found in the samples analysed, but growers must remain vigilant.

Testing has begun as part of a project to reduce the environmental impact of ammonia emissions from livestock, after ammonia-harvesting technology was put in place at a pig farm running the trials.

Taking steps to manage microbiota in maize silage this season will reduce the potential for costly mycotoxin problems at feed-out, according to Lientjie Colahan, technical sales support at Lallemand Animal Nutrition.