Livestock Business News

Exporters will be flying the flag for UK pork and beef at two major events in China this month – marking the first international showcasing since the coronavirus outbreak.

A 150-cow dairy farm in Staffordshire has seen milk yield increase by 225 litres a day following the implementation of key recommendations from an Alltech Navigate feed efficiency assessment.

Teams across AB Agri, Britain’s leading manufacturer of ruminant, pig and poultry animal feed have come together to help the agricultural industry and vulnerable people during the COVID-19 crisis, in a novel way.

Arriving in the UK late last year, the Opticare Automix from Zarkos-Smith Associates (also known as Swinco internationally) has already proven popular with farmers, as it allows larger litters to stay with the sow without being labour-intensive.

New Zealand has suspended live cattle exports after a ship carrying nearly 6,000 animals sank off the Japanese coast on Wednesday, with the fates of more than 40 crew members still unknown.

AHDB is reporting a good start to the year for red meat exports, with shipments already worth £733 million in the first six months – up nearly three per cent on the same period last year.

Milk deliveries dropped back considerably in the week ending 15th August, most likely as a result of the extreme heat, AHDB reports.

The increasingly popular Love Lamb Week kicks off its sixth year next month, with industry support greater than ever.

A dairy farmer from Staffordshire says attending specific dairy courses and joining discussion groups were a vital part in equipping her and her husband with the skills to run their own business.

Roundworms, liver fluke and lungworm are costing UK livestock producers £270 million in lost production and treatment expenditure every year, according to a new study to be published in the journal Preventive Veterinary Medicine. The study examined the economic burden of major parasitic worm infections on livestock across 18 European countries.

Traditionally marking the start of the annual autumn breeding sales season, with the first substantial breeding sale in the country, the 18th Shearwell Thame Summer Sheep Sale did not disappoint despite Covid-19 restrictions, with dearer trade reported in all sections.

UK sheep producers are being encouraged to implement all the proven measures to control sheep lameness, following publication of new research into practical management routines on farm.