Regular, timely farm news & advice
Read on for a host of farm animal healthcare advice and industry news that’s free and updated monthly. In the articles below you’ll find seasonal and local tips, information on how to keep your animals healthy and performing well, as well as information about other aspects of farming. If you’d like us to email you whenever we update our farm news and advice, then simply….
Seasonal newsletters from Garston Farm Vets
You can also request the latest copies of our newsletter, which come out every Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter. To receive these by email please phone the practice on 01373 451115 and let us know.
Bovine TB testing and the use of ancillary tests
In March we supported a meeting and farm walk by vet Dick Sibley who works with industry experts to try and update government policy on TB. An enlightening event showing undeniable parallels between TB and Johne’s disease. Frustratingly, we have a very successful national control plan for Johne’s, but an emphasis on testing for TB […]
Enrichment tips for locked up hens
Help your hens survive and thrive in their own lockdown with our environmental enrichment tips.
Subclinical milk fever
Clinical milk fever is typically; cold ears, swan-shape neck, animal unable to stand/rise, but these cases are only the “tip of the iceberg”. For every clinical case of milk fever, there will be a further number of animals with subclinical milk fever. These animals don’t have outward signs but are still affected with a low […]
Sheep and parasitology
Our farm vet Emily attended a sheep and cattle parasitology course at SRUC in Edinburgh recently. Here is an insight in to what she learnt and current worming advice: Autumn is the time of year to be reviewing your farm’s parasite risk and discuss housing doses of anthelmintic for worms and fluke. Using housing treatments […]
Frome Market Health Hub – A new service for farmers
A new service could help save the lives of busy farmers putting off a trip to the doctors. Frome Market Health Hub will give farmers, their families, and agricultural workers free access to confidential health checks, without the need to book an appointment. Hundreds of rural workers attend Frome Livestock Market auctions every week and […]
Red Tractor Assurance – New standards
There have been changes to the RTA scheme, some of which come into force at the start of November. The main updates are outlined below, but please click here for full details: Dairy NEW: Tethered housing systems, for stock of any age, will not be permitted on Red Tractor farms. NEW: Commitment to eliminate the […]
Six-monthly TB testing
Please be aware that APHA are beginning to phase in six-monthly TB testing for herds in High Risk Areas of England from July 2021. Increasing the frequency of surveillance testing in the HRA from annual to six-monthly will help detect TB-infected herds at an earlier stage. This reduces the time M. bovis can spread within […]
Body Condition Scoring (BCS) in Beef Cattle
Body condition scores are a vital part of successful fertility management on beef units. These techniques are ways of managing body condition score changes throughout the year if required: • House later if grass growth and quality has been good in the summer and a decrease in BCS is required • Wean calves later if […]
Good post-operative care on the farm
Following a recent seminar on farm animal surgery, Rich Talbot gives us some key factors to achieve a speedy recovery: Operations on farm animals are commonplace; from caesareans to enucleations (eye removal). As with any procedure, complications can arise. Good post-operative care is key to welfare and vital to ensure the animal continues it’s productive […]
Is your dairy herd protected from Leptospirosis?
Dairy herds are particularly at risk from Leptospirosis due to management factors that increase the risk of exposure, including close contact within the herd and with dairy workers, confinement during milking and in the yard, and moist conditions.