Livestock News

Livestock farmers will continue to have uninterrupted access to key cobalt salts as emergency authorisation for cobalt in livestock feeds has been granted for England and Wales following approval in Scotland.

UK dairy cooperative Arla has warned of further food price increases and a possible risk to food security if labour shortages are not addressed as a matter of urgency by the government, with a recent survey highlighting a serious and imminent risk to milk production.

At the Down to Earth South event last week (21 June), British farmer-owned dairy co-operative First Milk announced a new partnership with dairy manufacturer Yeo Valley, which will see the creation of a new regenerative milk pool in the Southwest of England.

Farmers are being urged to carry out regular faecal egg count (FEC) testing before drenching lambs to get an accurate estimation of worm burden across groups, as a more targeted approach to parasite control can save producers time, money and labour.

The pedigree herd of Santa Maria Polled Hereford cattle from Llandysul in Ceredigion will be offered for sale at Shrewsbury Auction Centre on Tuesday 27th June, presenting buyers with a unique opportunity to acquire purebred stock with premium genetics.

Sheep farmers are advised to be on high alert for a spike in the worm burden of lambs as recent wet weather is expected to cause a dramatic rise in the number of worm larvae on pastures.

After a late start to the blowfly season, recent hot weather has increased the risk to ‘high’ throughout the UK – and this will quickly rise further if there is any rainfall in the next few weeks.

Over 250 farmers took part in this year’s LEAF Open Farm Sunday, welcoming more than 170,000 people for trailer tours, farm walks, tastings and Q&As.

A vaccine developed by Scottish scientists that is considered one of the most significant advances in global livestock health over the last 25 years has been given renewed recognition as part of this year’s RHASS Presidential Initiative.

A new app for poultry farmers and backyard keepers has been launched to improve disease reporting and tracking and help limit the spread of disease, as the government continues to impose strict rules amid the country’s worst-ever avian flu outbreak.

The UK pig industry is leading the way in the fight against antibiotic resistance, having surpassed the 30% reduction target in total antibiotic use set by the RUMA Targets Task Force (TTF) between 2020 and 2024, AHDB figures have revealed.

The yeast fermentation additive Celmanax has been shown by a recent study to increase daily liveweight gains and reduce finishing times in lambs that received supplementation, saving farmers £18.91 per head when feed cost was taken into account.