A partnership between The Crown Estate Scotland Portfolio and Moredun Research Institute to address biosecurity and animal welfare issues has been extended.
The two organisations are working together to provide research insight and improvements to farming communities across Scotland.
Their latest venture is to produce awareness-raising materials - an information newssheet and poster - on biosecurity for key livestock diseases.
It has been designed to clearly outline best practice for a number of important, endemic diseases which affect cattle and sheep in the UK.
Losses due to disease cost the UK livestock industry millions of pounds each year and even on an individual basis, importing one disease with incoming livestock can be a costly mistake.
For example, the cost of an outbreak of sheep scab in a 500 head flock has been estimated at £6150.
Animal health roadshow events
This latest activity follows on from a series of animal health roadshow events that took place across The Crown Estate’s four rural estates in Scotland.
These were open to farming tenants but also other rural landholders, vets and animal health workers and representatives of the livestock industry.
Biosecurity is one of the most important factors of livestock disease control and is key to healthy livestock.
The joint project aims communicate best practice biosecurity as practically as possible.
Producers are well aware of the commercial benefits of healthy animals, and the materials encourage a proactive approach to disease prevention.
Additionally, Moredun recommends that livestock farmers regularly discuss health plans and response strategies with their vets, as well as maintaining good quarantine practice and environmental hygiene, to improve farm productivity and animal health and welfare.
The biosecurity resources were launched at this year’s Royal Highland Show at the Moredun’s Reception event.
Biosecurity 'critical part' of disease prevention
Andy Wells, Head of Countryside Management for the Scotland Portfolio, The Crown Estate said: "Biosecurity is a critical part of disease prevention and control.
"Farming is a key part of our business on our estates and helping our tenants to access current research and advice such as this ensures their businesses, and ours, remain healthy and viable for the future.
"Our earlier events carried out in co-operation with Moredun were hugely successful so we were very pleased to work with them again on this next phase of their outreach work."
Ian Duncan Miller, Chairman of the Moredun Foundation, said: "The Crown Estate is leading the way as the first land owning estate to join us and we hope many more estates and landowners will follow suit.
"The Crown Estate associate membership has allowed more than 350 of their UK livestock farming tenants to benefit from livestock health advice via Moredun's extensive Knowledge Transfer and Exchange network and research expertise."
Given the threats to our agricultural industry from parasites and disease, education and information sharing is important for promoting good practice and understanding of the practical actions farmers can take to help protect their livestock
