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Know How / Medicines

News and advice on the responsible use of livestock medicines, including antibiotics, wormers and vaccination. See best practice on medicine use to help avoid resistance to antibiotics and wormers and see how other farmers have reduced antibiotics successfully on their farms.

Advice and tips

MEDICINES

Sheep vaccines: 5 steps to using them effectively

Vaccinations in sheep play a key role in protecting flock health, and in most flocks will be crucial to ensure productivity and profitability. A huge number of vaccines is available…

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

Shortages of key vaccines threaten flock health

Shepherds are currently facing supply shortages of the vaccines Heptavac P Plus and Footvax. Manufacturer MSD Animal Health said stock disruption was being caused by “logistics and regulatory challenges in…

PIGS

Post-weaning scour in pigs – causes, signs and treatment

As if the pig sector didn’t need another challenge, the incoming ban of therapeutic levels of in-feed zinc is on the not-too-distant horizon. This is of great concern to many…

PIGS

Expert advice on zinc alternatives as ban looms

Medicinal levels of zinc oxide in piglet diets have been used for many years to combat post-weaning diarrhoea. However, certain products containing zinc oxide will lose their marketing authorisations in…

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Case studies

SHEEP

How farmer lambs 1,000 ewes inside without oral antibiotics

Diligence around lambing shed hygiene and ewe body condition scoring have allowed a Wiltshire flock to get through four lambings without a single dose of oral antibiotics. Martin Tobutt and…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

4 ways a robotic dairy got mastitis under control

Mastitis can lead to serious issues with milk quality and result in the suspension of milk contracts, but the problem can be tackled successfully. Vet Ellie Button explains how one…

DAIRY

How a farmer uses antibiotics on just 10% of herd at dry-off

Exceptional mastitis controls and an overall infection rate of just 7.8 cases for every 100 cows is allowing one Pembrokeshire farm to use antibiotics on just 10% of the herd…

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

How a dairy farm is controlling mycoplasma using vaccination

Mycoplasma bovis is the number one cause of pneumonia in calves in the UK as well as causing mastitis and arthritis in older animals. It is difficult to treat and…

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Insights

MEDICINES

Livestock Medicine Hub - what it's for and how it can help

A new database that enables farms to record, monitor and benchmark their antibiotics use has been developed by representatives from across the ruminant sector. Medicine Hub is available now and…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Guidance on mastitis recovery rates helps aid treatment plans

A new model developed by Quality Milk Management Services (QMMS) could help farmers better understand the probability of individual cows recovering from a case of clinical mastitis, therefore guiding better…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

CMT could cut dry-cow antibiotics use by half, study shows

Using the Californian Mastitis Test (CMT) at drying off could help cut antibiotics use by 50% without impacting clinical mastitis, a study has found. In the first large-scale investigation to…

PIGS

Survey highlights pig health worry ahead of zinc oxide ban

Weaning can be a stressful time for piglets and, when not managed correctly, can predispose them to conditions such as post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD). Zinc oxide has traditionally been fed after…

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News

MEDICINES

African swine fever vaccine ready for use, say scientists

A treatment to protect pigs from the deadly African swine fever (ASF) virus has moved a step closer after scientists in Vietnam claimed to have an effective vaccine ready for…

DAIRY

UK dairy farmers exceed antibiotics reduction targets

The use of critically important antimicrobials on UK dairy farms fell by 98% between 2018 and 2021 and nearly 80% of dairy farmers exceeded industry antibiotics reduction targets. This is…

FOOT HEALTH

Keptoprofen eases pain of digital dermatitis, trial shows

Trials of the drug ketoprofen in cattle suffering with digital dermatitis have shown it can be used as an effective painkiller, helping to maintain milk yields. The research work was…

MEDICINES

Watery mouth poses risk at lambing as antibiotic withdrawn

Vets have warned sheep producers to devise a plan to combat watery mouth after the withdrawal of a vital antimicrobial treatment. Sheep vet and former Sheep Veterinary Society (SVS) president…

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Video

SHEEP

How farmer lambs 1,000 ewes inside without oral antibiotics

Diligence around lambing shed hygiene and ewe body condition scoring have allowed a Wiltshire flock to get through four lambings without a single dose of oral antibiotics. Martin Tobutt and…

HUSBANDRY

Video: Correctly injecting cattle – a five-step guide

A good injection technique prevents damage to valuable carcass cuts and reduces the risk of injury to livestock and the handler. If an injection is administered incorrectly or with a…

MEDICINES

Antimicrobial resistance: How it works and why it's important

Antimicrobial resistance, and specifically antibiotics resistance, are high on the agenda for animal agriculture and veterinary medicine. Government and industry targets have been set for antibiotics reduction and antibiotics use is…

Sanderson Farms says antibiotic-free chicken is a ‘gimmick’

US poultry integrator Sanderson Farms has said it will not phase out antibiotics from its farms, taking a position that runs contrary to many other similar companies in the USA.…

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