Your data on MRCVSonline
The nature of the services provided by Vision Media means that we might obtain certain information about you.
Please read our Data Protection and Privacy Policy for details.

In addition, (with your consent) some parts of our website may store a 'cookie' in your browser for the purposes of
functionality or performance monitoring.
Click here to manage your settings.
EmailIphone Application    Posted: 30th August 2024
If you would like to forward this story on to a friend, simply fill in the form below and click send.
Your friend's email:
Your email:
Your name:
 
 
Send Cancel

Farmers urged to report cattle abortions and stillbirths
Investigating cattle abortions and stillbirths can improve herd planning and disease control.
RH&W has issued resources to make reporting easier.

Ruminant Health & Welfare (RH&W) has called for livestock farmers to report all abortions and stillbirths this block calving season.

The group says that accurate reporting and investigation is vital to help veterinary teams understand disease status and identify how to protect herds in future.

To support the thorough investigation of all abortions and stillbirths, farmers are being asked to send abortion tissues and blood samples for testing. This will assist both farmers and veterinary teams with herd planning, as well as identifying what was causing abortions.

This health planning includes assessing the status of infectious diseases and identifying the risk of zoonotic disease on the farm.

The current strain of bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3), as well as Schmallenberg, means that thorough investigation is particularly important. Both of these notifiable diseases can cause late term abortion, stillbirth or deformities in calves.

Investigating the causes of abortions will also enable the effective monitoring of prevalent zoonotic diseases, such as Q fever and Salmonella Dublin. Through regular testing, scientists will be able to assess whether they are active on-farm or passive on-farm.

Submitting abortion cases will also uncover the status of brucellosis, increasing confidence that the UK is free of brucella.

To reduce the barriers for farmers submitting abortion and stillbirth cases, RH&W has produced a flyer and an online hub. The resources have been created in consultation with the Animal and Plant Health Agency, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and Animal Health NI.

The flyer should be printed off and fixed onto farm notice boards and saved on the phones of members of the farming team.

RH&W is encouraging workers, farmers and veterinary teams to stay informed of disease risks on farms in order to better manage the risk of people coming into contact with diseased herds.

Colin Mason, a veterinary investigation officer and centre manager at SRUC’s disease surveillance centre, said: “Ultimately, the more you can find out about your animals by investigating these unexplained abortion losses, the better for your farm, your animals and the industry.”

Information about cattle abortions and stillbirths can be found here.

Image © Shutterstock

Become a member or log in to add this story to your CPD history

Birmingham Dogs Home makes urgent appeal

News Story 1
 Birmingham Dogs Home has issued an urgent winter appeal as it faces more challenges over the Christmas period.

The rescue centre has seen a dramatic increase in dogs coming into its care, and is currently caring for over 200 dogs. With rising costs and dropping temperatures, the charity is calling for urgent support.

It costs the charity £6,000 per day to continue its work.

Fi Harrison, head of fundraising and communications, said: "It's heart-breaking for our team to see the conditions some dogs arrive in. We really are their last chance and hope of survival."

More information about the appeal can be found here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Avian flu confirmed at premises in Cornwall

A case of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been detected in commercial poultry at a premises near Rosudgeon, Cornwall.

All poultry on the infected site will be humanely culled, and a 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone have been put in place. Poultry and other captive birds in the 3km protection zone must be housed.

The case is the second avian flu case confirmed in commercial poultry this month. The H5N5 strain was detected in a premises near Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, in early November. Before then, the disease had not been confirmed in captive birds in England since February.

The UK chief veterinary officer has urged bird keepers to remain alert and practise robust biosecurity.

A map of the disease control zones can be found here.