Broughton Veterinary Group 12 Swannington Road, Broughton Astley, Leicestershire LE9 6TU Tel: 01455 282512 Elizabethan House, Leicester Road, Lutterworth, Leicestershire LE17 4NJ Tel: 01455 552117 Broughton Veterinary Group is the trading name of Broughton Vet Group Ltd. Company number 9243007 registered in England & Wales. Registered office: 12 Swannington Road, Broughton Astley, Leicester, LE9 6TU JANUARY FARM NEWSLETTER 2019 i. NEW VETS ‘Rosie Thomas’ is starting on the 7 th January. Rosie has been working for 3 years as a mixed vet, and has recently returned from a year of travelling. We know that you will all welcome her warmly to the BVG team ‘James Sheridan’ will also be starting with us in the Spring. James is originally from Ireland but has been studying in Europe. Some of you may have already met James as he was working with us before Christmas for a month. ‘John Alexander’ will be with us until late September to cover maternity leave. He is a mixed animal vet with many years experience and knowledge. ii. MEDICINE’S MEETING To comply with red tractor assurance; “It is recommended that at least one member of staff responsible for administering medicines has undertaken training in the handling and administration of medicines”. Meeting details: - THURSDAY 31 st JANUARY - 12:30pm - ULLESTHORPE VILLAGE HALL As attendance numbers are limited, please RSVP to 01455 552117 or [email protected]- Please confirm menu choice of fish and chips or pie and chips. There is a small charge of £10 for this meeting as it is to comply with regulation changes. B.V.G news! Thermodurics are bacteria which survive the pasteurisation process, this leads to reduced shelf life of milk and spoilage of cheese and butter. The bacterium most commonly found within this group are bacillus and clostridium species which are prevalent in the environment. Until recently, milk buyers have not tested for these bacterium, however more testing is occurring and if detected then penalties will be incurred. The major routes of entry include dirty cow teat surfaces, poor parlour hygiene and residues in milk machine equipment. These sources are critical in determining levels of thermodurics. Prevention is key to disease spread 1. Pre-dip; allow 30 sec contact time and must be wiped dry 2. If cows are washed pre-milking then they MUST be dried 3. Ensure all teats are clean and dry after milking – if the milk sock is soiled post milking then the pre-teat prep is inadequate 4. Keep milking clusters clean throughout milking 5. Keep the environment clean – if udders and teats are dirty there is a problem 6. Keep yards well scraped as slurry being kicked up will cause a massive issue 7. Keep tails trimmed 8. Clip or singe the udder so no excess hair present; hairy udders trap dirt 9. After wash cycle, the plant should be disinfected with hypochlorite solution, if borehole water is used then care needs to be taken with risk of bacterial infections. These bacterium should be killed by antibiotics but the biggest issue is that they tend to go undetected and can often simply lead to high cell count cows.
Tel: 01455 552117 Broughton Veterinary Group is the trading name of Broughton Vet Group Ltd. Company number 9243007 registered in England & Wales. Registered office: 12 Swannington Road, Broughton Astley, Leicester, LE9 6TU
JANUARY FARM NEWSLETTER 2019
i. NEW VETS ‘Rosie Thomas’ is starting on the 7th January. Rosie has been working for 3 years as a mixed vet, and has recently returned from a year of travelling. We know that you will all welcome her warmly to the BVG team ‘James Sheridan’ will also be starting with us in the Spring. James is originally from Ireland but has been studying in Europe. Some of you may have already met James as he was working with us before Christmas for a month. ‘John Alexander’ will be with us until late September to cover maternity leave. He is a mixed animal vet with many years experience and knowledge. ii. MEDICINE’S MEETING To comply with red tractor assurance; “It is recommended that at least one member of staff responsible for administering medicines has undertaken training in the handling and administration of medicines”. Meeting details: - THURSDAY 31st JANUARY - 12:30pm - ULLESTHORPE VILLAGE HALL As attendance numbers are limited, please RSVP to 01455 552117 or [email protected] - Please confirm menu choice of fish and chips or pie and chips. There is a small charge of £10 for this meeting as it is to comply with regulation changes.
B.V.G news!
Thermodurics are bacteria which survive the pasteurisation
process, this leads to reduced shelf life of milk and spoilage of
cheese and butter. The bacterium most commonly found within
this group are bacillus and clostridium species which are
prevalent in the environment. Until recently, milk buyers have
not tested for these bacterium, however more testing is
occurring and if detected then penalties will be incurred.
The major routes of entry include dirty cow teat surfaces,
poor parlour hygiene and residues in milk machine equipment.
These sources are critical in determining levels of
thermodurics.
Prevention is key to disease spread 1. Pre-dip; allow 30 sec contact time and must be wiped
dry
2. If cows are washed pre-milking then they MUST be
dried
3. Ensure all teats are clean and dry after milking – if the
milk sock is soiled post milking then the pre-teat prep
is inadequate
4. Keep milking clusters clean throughout milking
5. Keep the environment clean – if udders and teats are
dirty there is a problem
6. Keep yards well scraped as slurry being kicked up will
cause a massive issue
7. Keep tails trimmed
8. Clip or singe the udder so no excess hair present; hairy
udders trap dirt
9. After wash cycle, the plant should be disinfected with
hypochlorite solution, if borehole water is used then
care needs to be taken with risk of bacterial
infections.
These bacterium should be killed by antibiotics but the biggest
issue is that they tend to go undetected and can often simply
ASF was first detected in EU Member States in 2014.
Since then, the disease has been spreading in wild boar in
parts of eastern and central Europe with outbreaks
also occurring in domestic pigs, especially in pigs in
small herds. Many pigs have died from the disease, and
many thousands more have been culled to try to
control its spread. The outbreak has been particularly
bad in Romania where there have been over 1,000
outbreaks in domestic pigs. There is no effective vaccine
available for control. Fortunately this virus does not
infect humans and there is no risk to public health.
ASF presents an important and increasing risk to pigs in
the UK. In an outbreak, heightened disease control
measures and a potential ban on pork exports could
have a financial impact on the pig industry. The arrival
of ASF would also affect the modest export market of
our native rare breed pigs; and those with small
populations and genetic pools could be heavily
compromised if they had to be culled for disease
control purposes.
In mid-September 2018, ASF was detected in Belgium for
the first time in wild boar found dead in the Luxembourg
region, near the border with France. This is a very
significant development in the westward spread of ASF
in European Union Member States. It illustrates how
this disease can move large geographic distances, most
likely by people moving infected meat or meat products
or objects, materials or equipment contaminated with
the virus from ASF-infected areas into Belgium.
Since then further cases of ASF have been found in wild
boar in Belgium. As a consequence, Belgian pig farmers
have lost much of their international market and a cull
of all the domestic pigs kept in the restricted zone has
taken place.
Further afield, ASF has been spreading in China since it
was first reported in early August 2018. Updates on
this disease in different regions can be found on the
GOV.UK website:
www.gov.uk/guidance/african-swine-fever
“We must all play our part in raising awareness with all
pig owners of this significant risk, promoting good
biosecurity, and ensuring early detection and effective
control, if the worst happens.”
Scanning can help detect problems early so these
can be brought to both your and our attention.
Let us know about ewes that you expected to be in
lamb, but are empty. Have you got an unexpected
high number not in lamb?
Make sure you record all lambing losses within the
first 4 weeks of birth. To include; stillbirth,
large/small lamb, abortion, mismothering, watery
mouth, hypothermia, starvation, predation, ewe
death, lamb laid on, scours, unknown etc.
If you need a new lambing chart, please let us know
as we have some at the Lutterworth practice.
We aim to collect data and help you analysis this to
improve your performance year on year.
Body Condition Score (BCS) cows to reduce feed costs this winter
Winter forage is tight and costly this year due to the late spring and hot summer. One of the key ways to reduce your winter feed bill is to feed cattle appropriately. Spending a little time during the winter grouping cows according to body condition score will not only save you costs in feed but also in veterinary care and reduce losses.
Those “fat cows” with a BCS >3 do not need intensive feeding and can be put on a lighter ration especially if in late lactation and dry period. This will reduce risks of calving issues and post calving diseases. “Skinny cows” that have a BCS <2 require a little more feeding to provide the appropriate nutrition and prevent disease. Body condition scoring is not a static process, it needs to be repeated over the winter period.
If you would like advice on how to body condition score cattle then please contact the practice.
Have you already scanned your sheep, otherwise now is the time!
