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This is Devon --
While many herds have a good standard of health, and improvements have been made by working with vets and using herd health plans and farm assurance schemes, we are still falling behind.
If we as a country don't keep up with the improvements of other countries we could find it difficult to compete with the rest of Europe. This is also echoed with the responsible use of antibiotics which is being discussed at the moment.
Many herds do vaccinate to help protect against BVD along with Leptospirosis and also IBR. But even with annual vaccination these diseases can cause problems. If the level of circulating disease is high the immunity provided by the vaccine may not be enough. This is assuming that the vaccine is administered correctly to the correct animals at the correct time.
Before embarking on a control plan for any disease it is vital to know the current herd situation. Any animals that are potentially posing a risk should be addressed and a robust control plan drawn up. This plan might involve regular testing which could lead to gaining accreditation as a high-health status herd.
Many breed societies especially are aware of the benefits of promoting high-health status herds. Breeding stock can be sold as free from known diseases, reducing some of the risks of buying in stock. And a premium price can be obtained when selling these animals.
Cattle health schemes are aimed at monitoring, controlling and ultimately eradicating diseases on individual farms. These schemes can also provide certification of accredited-free status of the four most important diseases affecting our cattle herds, BVD, Leptospirosis, Johnes and IBR.
You don't have to have a pedigree herd or even be selling breeding stock to take advantage of the benefits of health schemes. Large commercial herds can use these schemes to maximise herd health just as effectively as smaller or pedigree herds.
Annual blood samples of selected animals are used to monitor the status of the whole herd. We would usually do this at a TB test to reduce the handling of animals. Advice on bio-security is given to help ensure that once testing is under way, the chances of these diseases getting in are reduced. BVD accreditation can be achieved even if you are vaccinating against it.
While there are several different schemes they all follow the same principles. Cattle Health Certification standards (CHeCs) is the self-regulatory body for all of the health schemes. Their website www.checs.co.uk shows what is required to begin working towards accreditation. If you feel that a cattle health scheme is for you, discuss the options with your vet. Even if accreditation isn't an immediate goal you can still benefit from improvements in herd health. Reported by This is 1 hour ago.
Clik here to view.
This is Devon --While many herds have a good standard of health, and improvements have been made by working with vets and using herd health plans and farm assurance schemes, we are still falling behind.
If we as a country don't keep up with the improvements of other countries we could find it difficult to compete with the rest of Europe. This is also echoed with the responsible use of antibiotics which is being discussed at the moment.
Many herds do vaccinate to help protect against BVD along with Leptospirosis and also IBR. But even with annual vaccination these diseases can cause problems. If the level of circulating disease is high the immunity provided by the vaccine may not be enough. This is assuming that the vaccine is administered correctly to the correct animals at the correct time.
Before embarking on a control plan for any disease it is vital to know the current herd situation. Any animals that are potentially posing a risk should be addressed and a robust control plan drawn up. This plan might involve regular testing which could lead to gaining accreditation as a high-health status herd.
Many breed societies especially are aware of the benefits of promoting high-health status herds. Breeding stock can be sold as free from known diseases, reducing some of the risks of buying in stock. And a premium price can be obtained when selling these animals.
Cattle health schemes are aimed at monitoring, controlling and ultimately eradicating diseases on individual farms. These schemes can also provide certification of accredited-free status of the four most important diseases affecting our cattle herds, BVD, Leptospirosis, Johnes and IBR.
You don't have to have a pedigree herd or even be selling breeding stock to take advantage of the benefits of health schemes. Large commercial herds can use these schemes to maximise herd health just as effectively as smaller or pedigree herds.
Annual blood samples of selected animals are used to monitor the status of the whole herd. We would usually do this at a TB test to reduce the handling of animals. Advice on bio-security is given to help ensure that once testing is under way, the chances of these diseases getting in are reduced. BVD accreditation can be achieved even if you are vaccinating against it.
While there are several different schemes they all follow the same principles. Cattle Health Certification standards (CHeCs) is the self-regulatory body for all of the health schemes. Their website www.checs.co.uk shows what is required to begin working towards accreditation. If you feel that a cattle health scheme is for you, discuss the options with your vet. Even if accreditation isn't an immediate goal you can still benefit from improvements in herd health. Reported by This is 1 hour ago.
