Animal Welfare

An ongoing Innovative Farmers field lab is looking into the impact of mob grazing on soil, biodiversity and animal health.

Advice and guidance on protecting animal welfare on farms, in transport, at markets and at slaughter.

There are only two types of treatment for sheep scab – organophosphate (OP) plunge dips (containing diazinon) and endectocides (injectable group 3-ML). 

Animal tissues colonised with pathogenic organisms are said to be ‘infected’.

From identifying lesions to treatment and nutrition, our information and resources can help you to manage all aspects of lameness.

Recent spikes in consumer and retailer concern for the welfare of farmed animals (including chickens) have led to the development of animal welfare standards, changes in how animals are housed and managed, and new research opportunities to develop animal-based indicators of animal welfare.

Lameness is the third most impactful disease in dairy cattle, with respect to economics and animal welfare

In Devon, a group of six farmers and Rothamsted’s North Wyke research farm have teamed up through Innovative Farmers to form the Devon Silvopasture Network.

It is impossible to be certain if a sheep has sheep scab without a diagnosis.

For the past year, and as part of AHDB’s Strategic Dairy Farm programme, Howard and Tom Pattison, from Willow Tree Farm in North Yorkshire, have been on a mission to reduce clinical cases of mastitis in their dairy herd.For the past year, and as part of AHDB’s Strategic Dairy Farm programme, Howard and Tom Pattison, from Willow Tree Farm in North Yorkshire, have been on a mission to reduce clinical cases of mastitis in their dairy herd.

The TB Advisory Service is proud to be hosting the second national TB conference. This is a unique opportunity to bring together all those involved in TB control ensuring a collaborative approach.

  NSA is proud to present its inaugural Sheep Farmers’ Conference – an important addition to the biennial NSA calendar offering a packed day of high level presentations, optional workshops and networking opportunities.

Prioritising the future of your herd and looking closely at your youngstock housing should be at the forefront of every farmer's mind.

Sheep scab is an acute or chronic form of allergic dermatitis caused by the faeces of sheep scab mites (Psoroptes ovis).

Improving cattle handling for Better Returns

Youngstock are the future of any farm. Investing in them is an investment in the farm’s future, too.

 Resistance in scab mites to the injectables has been confirmed in the UK, which means we need to be increasingly careful about how we use both treatment choices.

Stephanie Eldon and her family farm a unit with 199 dairy cows in Northern Ireland, producing 75 heifers calving into the herd per year. It is a Holstein closed herd calving all year round, with a 305-day average yield of 8,896 litres (L).

Silvopastoral agroforestry – integrating shelterbelts, hedgerows or in-field trees with grazing livestock – can provide domestic animals with benefits, including shelter and shade, as well as supplementing their diets as tree browse or fodder.

Use our practical videos of on-farm tasks to help train and refresh staff and boost pig production.

Lameness is a serious cost to the sheep industry.

The relationship between wetlands and livestock farming is complex and a subject of growing importance in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Improving existing buildings or designing new builds to the best standards has a lasting and positive impact on animal health and productivity.

Can we breed resilient lambs that tackle worms naturally without impacting their growth rate? Find out more from the latest on-farm trial.

Managing ewes correctly throughout the year is vital for generating the highest possible output from any sheep enterprise.

This checklist aims to provide a structured approach to assess a calf rearing system.

A collection of factsheets

This booklet provides an accurate, easy-to-use reference guide on all available anti-parasitic products in their various chemical groups and summarises the parasites they have been licensed to control.  

Optimising fertility is critical to the success of any suckler herd.

This recording from the Oxford Real Farming Conference is of a discussion between farmers involved in the Innovative Farmers Bale grazing project.

Housing Systems for Species-specific Rearing with Mother Cows and Nurse Cows

Join us (AHDB) virtually for a practical workshop, highlighting the shed ventilation solutions at Willow Tree Farm.

Improving animal performance and reducing physical losses are key to ensuring sheep farming is profitable.

Liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica) can have a devastating effect on the health and welfare of grazing livestock and historically, control has relied heavily on the routine blanket use of flukicide treatments.

Diseases in sheep and cattle have made the headlines many times over the last few years.

Opportunities and constraints for conventional farming systems on rewetted peat soils

This HENNOVATION technical note describes an innovative technique for reducing predation of free ranging laying hens. The case study was conducted in Spain but it has application across Europe.

This informative and practical event featured Lynn Cassells of Lynbreck Croft, James Reid of Tap o’ Noth Farm, and Dr Lindsay Whistance of the Organic Research Centre, discussing how making hay from trees can be a valuable way to supplement winter forage and support livestock nutrition and welfare.

NSA considers what makes a successful lambing, how to mitigate risk and what to do if things start to go wrong. 

This handbook (NetPoulSafe) compiles in one document 50 factsheets for both farmers and advisors (including veterinarians) in poultry production, detailing the best supporting measures for biosecurity.

During this webinar, experts from the four nations and the continent will discuss the latest updates regarding bluetongue virus.

How can data be used to improve farm animal health and welfare? Take this free training course from the University of Edinburgh.

This conference aims to promote best practice and facilitate the exchange of ideas relevant to all stages of youngstock rearing. It will feature a series of practical seminars addressing the latest developments in cattle breeding, nutrition and health.

The event will be hosted by FNZ Monitor Farmers, Matt and Pip Smith. The day will cover a range of topics to increase the profitability and environmental sustainability of sheep production.

In this case study, we describe field investigations of liver fluke risk to livestock associated with grazing under two different agri-environmental schemes and discuss best practice for conservation grazing and sustainable fluke control.