Dairy news and advice from the LLM Farm Vets team in Shropshire, Cheshire, Lancashire and Derbyshire.
With the new processor regulation changes (especially Tesco and Arla 360) coming into action this October and the increasing spotlight on reducing antibiotic use, there is further pressure for farmers to start or do more selective dry cow therapy (where you use just sealants on healthy low cell count cows […]
It is estimated that between 5 and 10% of all calvings in the UK are assisted. Assistance can vary from a farmer giving a quick pull, to a veterinary surgeon being required to […]
The transition period is the most important part of the cow’s lactation cycle. A well-managed transition will result in a smooth entry into lactation with minimal metabolic disorders such as milk fever or ketosis and an uncomplicated return to ovarian cyclicity. It is easy to overlook the transition cows and […]
There is never one ‘better’ time of year than another to be a teat, though one would like to think of summer as a good season to air those orifices. However recently we have seen a spate of teat calamities and as usual the cows weren’t giving us any clues […]
Mastitis causes greater economic losses than any other production disease of dairy cattle. Some of these costs are clearly visible and include the medicines used for both treatment and prevention, discarding unsaleable milk and culling affected cows. In addition, milk price is directly affected by both bonuses and penalties related […]
The sun has been shining and a lot of you by now have either braved a first cut, or have the clamp ready and waiting to be filled (que the rain). This being said, the emergence of this warm and damp weather should have you thinking about what parasites it […]
Several weeks ago, whilst on call at the weekend I saw two milking animals that were down and unable to stand. Both were relatively fresh calved and one of the two was a first calved heifer so milk fever, whilst possible, was an unlikely differential. Both animals had also […]
With over two thirds of the UK’s dairy herds harbouring Johne’s Disease, many of you will be all too familiar with this frustrating disease. We’ve seen the set up and implementation of Action Johne’s Management Plans over the past two years and with the plans implemented we should be getting […]
It is now widely accepted within the UK dairy industry that one of the key targets for future proofing production is responsible antimicrobial use.
UK agriculture has done a fantastic job of reducing antibiotic use in the last six years, refining practices, and focusing on preventing disease. There has been […]
Lameness is a consistent problem in dairy herds, but it is quickly becoming the hot topic amongst processors and that could have a real affect on how lameness is managed on farm. We could talk all day about the facts, challenges and solutions, but we decided it would be best […]
Whitchurch: 01948 663000 | Eccleshall: 01785 472211 | Derbyshire: 01629 691692 | Lancashire: 01772 866014
Company Number: 10084952 | VetPartners Practices Limited T/A LLM Farm Vets | Registered Address: Spitfire House, Aviator Ct, York YO30 4UZ
