MOO-VEMBER!As the newsletter went to print the lads were just over half way through MOOvember, raising money and awareness for prostate and testicular cancer.

Some of them were a little sceptical at first about this MOOstache caper, but now as the month is nearly at its end the idea has really grown on them!

By time you get this Newsletter MOOvember will be well and truly over and irritating face fuzz shaved off. But its’ not too late to donate and support this worthy cause.

Check out how the lads got on at: uk.movember.com/team/712997

CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR OFFICE HOURSThe office will be closed from:2 pm Monday 24th Dec until 8.15am Thursday 27th Dec, and closed from 3pm Monday 31st Dec until 8.15am Wednesday 2nd Jan 2013.

Please phone the office number in all cases and your call will be diverted to the vet on call.

IN THIS ISSUE: DECEMBER 2012Schmallenberg Virus Update•Orbeseal Residues•Liver Fluke•Itchy Sheep•

WHAT A YEAR!2012 has come and almost gone and it has been a year of extremes. The year started with everyone worrying about a drought! Remember that! Record beef and lamb prices and a seemingly strong milk market had set the year off in good heart but it wasn’t long before the wheels came off the wagon (or sank in the mud). The long awaited rain came and decided to stay, making silaging and field work a real struggle and then, just as people were getting really hacked off with being wet, the milk processors decided to pee on them some more by slashing the milk price. For the first time however, the dairy industry really hit back and it was impressive to see how many farmers and associated people were prepared to get out and support the protests. The protests have at least pulled the price back up and more importantly have made the supermarkets sit up and take notice. They can’t just take it for granted that farmers will take whatever crap is thrown at them. However it is clear that pricing into the future will continue to be volatile and we must do all we can to ensure our farms are as efficient and as healthy as possible to cope with whatever comes next!

In the practice, and with our partners in XL Vets, we have continued to improve our service to you with many farms now enrolled on Roels healthy feet programme and through a variety of practical workshops that we will be continuing to run through the winter. We will be rolling out more analytical use of milk records through Interherd plus and continuing to ensure we invest in the skills that matter to you on your farm. Please keep an eye on the newsletters, website, facebook and twitter for all our latest activities and if you see any dodgy moustaches in December you can now feel free to point and laugh (even if you still may get accosted for a donation!)

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Shropshire Farm Vets is a trading name of Macpherson O’Sullivan Ltd,

Unit 3, The Depot, Hanwood, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY5 8NY

T: 01743 860 920 F: 01743 861 934 E: farm@shropshirefarmvets.com W: www.shropshirefarmvets.com

NEWSshropshireFARM

There has also been some debate as to whether Schmallenberg has contributed to more subtle depression of milk yield as many vets have been reporting herds feeding for 30-35 litres but getting 5 litres less. Obviously with the wet summer and

the feed situation this is difficult to judge but we certainly think there has been a hit on more than a few of our farms.

For sheep farmers’ especially early lambers there is a worry that we will see a rise in the number of deformed lambs, already we have had a report that scanning has revealed a higher proportion of dead lambs in one flock. Neem Proriddance has a claim in preventing midges feeding which may well be worth considering although some more good hard frosts would also help.

What else can we do? At present nothing, but there is a vaccine close to approval. Once that becomes available we will be encouraging you to do some blood sampling to see if SBV is in your herd and how many animals are still at risk.

However do not just assume that everything that happens on your farm can be put down to SBV. Keep up your regular vaccinations and nutritional monitoring as healthy, well fed stock are likely to fend off this infection better than thin run down animals.

COpINg WITH THIS SEASONS FORAgEHooray the maize is in! After an unpredictable year for grass quality its’ now time to take stock and assess what we do with this years conserved feeds. Quality will be variable with so many having to ensile feeds wet. With low dry matter, low fibre and low pH comes the risk of either Ketosis or SARA (sub acute ruminal acidosis).

Keep an eye out for early signs of SARA: sloppy faeces; tail swishing and dirty flanks; fluctuating food intake and a reduction in butterfat. Ketotic cows will have increased butterfat, reduced protein and body condition loss.

This is a subject we will return to as the winter progresses, but if you have any concerns about this, please ask us on your routine or other visits. A lot can be gained just from looking at the cows and their demeanour and faeces.

ORBESEAl RESIdUESYou may or may not be aware that several of the cheese companies have had issues with minute residues of Orbeseal causing blackspots in cheddar, to the extent some supermarkets have threatened to reject whole batches. We have been working with the dairy companies involved and with other vets to put together an advisory leaflet to go with each box of Orbeseal we sell. Please read and take note of this and hopefully this powerful tool in preventing mastitis will continue to be available to us for many years to come.

As a follow on to this some milk buyers are now asking for you to produce evidence that you and your staff have been trained in the correct use of Orbeseal. If you have been informed of this, let us know and at your next visit we can go through the correct procedure with you, ideally with a live cow ready for drying off.

Please understand that we will not sign any certificate to say we have trained you if we haven’t,- even if the inspection is tomorrow!!! The training needn’t take very long and is time well spent as it is amazing how many variations to the correct procedure people try to get away with. Really, if you are spending almost £10 per cow at drying off (inc a’biotic) don’t you want to get it right?

SCHMAllENBERg VIRUS UpdATE WHERE ARE WE NOW?Since we first reported our first case about 6 weeks ago there has been a huge upsurge in testing for schmallenberg across the country. This has been helped by a new bulk milk test which has allowed us to check for levels in the tank. What has become apparent is that this new virus has spread through the country to a much greater extent than we previously thought. We have had now had more than a dozen confirmed herds and more positives than negatives in our latest testing.

Schmallenberg has been detected in practically all samples submitted by XLvet practices from Cheshire, Lancashire West Wales and further south. There have also been positives in Southern and Northern Ireland. Symptoms vary from farm to farm, some farms not noticing any signs but other farms having dramatic milk loss and much higher numbers ofabortions and early pregnancy loss.

lIVER FlUkESo far we have taken 35 bulk milk samples from dairies in the practice, to establish the extent and severity of fluke infestation. The results are somewhat surprising, in that over 50% of farms have shown up with high positive values.

These high positive values prompt the VLA to give the advice, that a fluke control strategy needs to be initiated as part of the broader heard health planning process. Most important for long term control, is removing the breeding grounds for the water snail, which is the intermediate host of the liver fluke.

This involves the drainage and fencing off water-logged land. Each farms circumstances are different which can lead to a different choice of flukicide and the timing of when to use them. However there are several key points that apply to all.

Unlike with gu• t worms, cows cannot mount effective immunity against liver fluke, as the fluke has a protective slime layer, hiding it from the immune system Fluke need specific wormers, and are not killed by •wormers used for gut worms or lung wormsDifferent flukicides kill different life stages of liver fluke. •The most severe disease is caused by young larval stages in the autumn and more chronic disease by adult fluke in the spring. Different products should, in an ideal world, be used at these different times and using one that kills young larval stages is most important in the autumn/winterThere are very few licenced effective products for use •in lactating animals, so treatment should always be discussed with a vet, and where necessary, statutory milk withdrawal periods observed.

If you have any queries regarding fluke please contact the office to speak to one of the vets.

MAEdI VISNA ON THE INCREASEA recent SAC survery has found that the number of flocks infected with Maedi Visna (MV) has doubled in the last 15 years to almost 3%. Within these flocks the level of infection has increased from 13% to almost 25% thereby quadrupling the number of infected sheep in the UK.

MV is a slow progressively fatal disease with no immune recovery. Disease is not evident until at least 2 years of

age, more usually 4-5 years, and even then it is usually not recognised until a large of proportion of the flock are infected by which time it is difficult to control.

Sheep affected with Maedi remain bright and alert and continue to eat but have a gradual loss of condition, increase in respiratory rate and difficulty breathing.

Those affected with Visna are also characterised by weight loss but gait abnormalities of the hindlimbs are the main feature. Visna cases usually progress rapidly, resulting in death within a few weeks.

What does the future hold? MV will become more common. Whilst typically only tested for in pedigree flocks, a small number of outbreaks in commercial flocks has already been documented.

Our advice to flock owners is to buy from flocks which are uninfected using the MV accreditation scheme. MV can only enter your flock through infected sheep. Be aware of the signs; if you are concerned then contact the practice and speak to a vet. Remember that there is no cure or vaccine to prevent or control MV so remain vigilant.

CHRISTMAS CRACkERSHere are a few “Christmas Cracker”

jokes to help you through the festive season!!

Who’s the bane of Santa’s life?

The elf and safety officer.

How do you make an idiot laugh on Boxing day?

Tell him a joke on Christmas eve.

What kind of candle burns longer, a red candle, or a green candle?

Neither – a candle burns shorter.

Establish where the infection has come from. If it has come from purchased in sheep then review your quarantine protocol – all protocols should contain a treatment for scab. If it has come from a neighbour then make them aware.

Like-wise even if it has not come from a neighbour you should warn those with adjacent fields that they may wish to treat at the same time for maximum effect and protection. You should also consider double-fencing for high risk neighbours.

Keep up to date by following us on facebook & twitter links below

CHANgES TO TB CATTlE MOVEMENT 1ST JAN 2013

From 1st January 2013, there will be some changes to the rules around movements of cattle on and off TB restricted premises in our area. They are as follows:-

1.Re-stocking of Officially TB Free status suspended (OTFS) herds will only be permitted after the herd’s first post-breakdown test (after any identified reactors have been removed) and subject to a satisfactory veterinary risk assessment. This change will bring such herds in line with the conditions already in place for OTF status withdrawn (OTFW) herds

2.The window for movements of cattle from TB restricted herds will be reduced from 60 to 30 days from the day of their last tuberculin skin test with negative results. However, movements to slaughter (direct or via an Approved Finishing Unit or slaughter gathering) will continue to be permitted within 60 days of a test with negative results

3.The current moratorium on new Approved Quarantine Units (AQU) will continue, and existing AQUs will be phased out, i.e. from 1st January 2013 existing AQUs will not be able to re-stock

4.Sanctions against operators of Approved Finishing Units (AFU) that breach operating conditions will be reviewed on a case by case basis, with the licence tooperate being removed for serious breaches.

Please familiarise yourself with these changes. Further info is available from your AHVLA office or the AHVLA website.

UpCOMINg EVENTSRoutine Foot Trimming Course 11th DecemberRefresher Foot Trimming Course 13th Decemberwith Roel. Please phone the practice for details and to book your place.

Barry will be holding a Lambing Day course at the end of January beginning of February. To register your interest please contact the practice for further information.

YOUR pHOTOS plEASE!!

It’s not too late to send in your ‘farming’ photo for our January newsletter. If you have a picture with a farming theme that we could put on our 2013 newsletter please send it to:zoe@shropshirefarmvets.com (in Jpeg form if poss) by the 14th December. There will be a prize for the chosen picture.

AND DID YOU KNOW…..

Nearly all the photos that are published in our newsletters are taken by Roel or one of the other vets.

ITCHY SHEEpSince the withdrawal of compulsory dipping sheep scab has become rampant in the UK and is now a serious welfare concern. Sheep scab is typically seen in autumn/winter and we have already had our first cases of the winter.

Sheep scab can be transmitted by direct contact, from sheep to sheep, or by infected wool on fence posts or vehicles. Infested sheep will be seen to kick and bite at their flanks and rub themselves on fence posts. Classically there is loss of wool over the shoulders with the skin and surrounding fleece appearing moist and yellow. Bare in mind that sheep can still carry the mite without showing any signs!

If you are suspicious of sheep scab get themchecked by one of the vets and have samples taken. Treatment options can then be discussed.

“What else can I do if my sheep have scab?”

SHROPSHIRE FARM NEWS: DECEMBER 2012

Shropshire Farm Vets is a trading name of Macpherson O’Sullivan Ltd,

Unit 3, The Depot, Hanwood, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY5 8NY

T: 01743 860 920 F: 01743 861 934 E: farm@shropshirefarmvets.com W: www.shropshirefarmvets.com

www.twitter.com@ShropFarmVets

www.facebook.com/ShropshireFarmVets