UK livestock 'exposed' to Schmallenberg this summer

Fluke season is 'just as bad as expected' Recent heavy rains across the UK have maintained the high risk of liver fluke in sheep and cattle, and SCOPS Chairman Peter Baber has stressed the nee... EU identifies 'serious defects' in French GM rat study The European Union's food safety watchdog has identified 'serious defects' in the research undertaken by French scientists who said rats fed on a GM d... TB report shows complexity of disease, say vets Veterinary associations have welcomed the Review into Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) by the Assembly’s Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD) Committee, an... Sheep scab to be a priority following inaugural conference At the inaugural conference of the Sheep Health and Welfare Group (SHAWG) last week, a clear mandate was given to the group when the 224 attendees vot... Disease eradication tops agenda at BVA meeting The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has used its Northern Ireland meeting to call on the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to ensur... Farming group attacks Charity Commission on RSPCA stance The Farmers' Union of Wales has accused the Charity Commission of 'bringing the nature of charities into disrepute by failing to confront the RSPCA' o... Measures to reduce antimicrobial resistance 'not sound science' Measures to reduce antimicrobial resistance in Europe are in danger of becoming 'kneejerk' reactions, the British Veterinary Association has warned. ... Hospital food welfare 'shocking' says survey Eggs, chicken and pork served in English hospitals are produced from animals reared in only basic welfare conditions, according to a survey published ... NFU attacks RSPCA over badger warning The National Farmers' Union has said the RSPCA 'overstepped the mark' over comments made about 'naming and shaming' people involved in the badger cull... Henry Schein signs agreement to acquire C&M Vetlink Henry Schein, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSIC), the world’s largest provider of health care products and services to office-based dental, medical and animal health... Liver fluke in top 10 diseases to beef cattle According to the latest National Animal Disease Information Service (NADIS) Parasite Forecast, liver fluke was rated in the 10 most important diseases... MP proposes badger vaccination for Cornwall Following the government's decision not to proceed with a badger cull in Somerset and Gloucestershire, West Cornwall MP Andrew George has urged a badg... Feeding sows more efficiently When someone mentions feed costs, thoughts typically gravitate towards what is happening in the finishing barn, simply due to the influence it has on ... Government remains committed to TB eradication despite vote Today's backbench business debate was an opportunity for MPs to discuss the government's TB eradication programme, the NFU said today. A vote of 1... Badger cull delay could spark assessment of RBCT trials The decision to delay the badger cull in England should be used to undertake a full and proper assessment of the impacts of the Randomised Badger Cull... NFU writes to Defra to urge 2013 badger cull The National Farmers Union (NFU) have written to Environment Secretary Owen Paterson to request that the pilot badger culls in West Somerset and West ... RSPCA expresses delight as badger cull halted The government has announced today that plans for a badger cull in Somerset and Gloucestershire, which had been due to start any day, have been put on... Swine influenza affecting large number of herds The incidence of swine influenza in pig herds in the UK and Ireland could be higher than expected if the results of a recent survey are replicated acr... TB vaccine 'remains years away' say farming groups A cattle vaccine to help control bovine TB in the future 'remains many years away' according to farming groups. Unions such as the NFU have admitt... FUW urges farmers to use rodenticides correctly Farmers’ Union of Wales’ land use and parliamentary committee chairman Gavin Williams today urged farmers to consider their on-farm rat control measur... Farming groups 'stand firm' behind TB badger cull Farming groups have said they will 'stand firm' behind the government's TB eradication policy, which will include pilot badger culls. Critics say ... E.coli poultry vaccine to be launched An innovation in protecting chickens against E.coli bacteria has been achieved with the launch of a first modified live vaccine. The vaccine, which... Mexican avian flu 'nightmare' as 25m birds lost Two leaders of the Mexican egg industry have spoken of their "nightmare" after an estimated 25 million laying birds were lost in an outbreak of avian ... Schmallenberg case 'must be investigated to understand virus' Following the discovery of the Schmallenberg virus in Dyfed, West Wales, earlier this week, there have been calls for a thorough and rapid investigati... Farmers warned on Schamellenberg virus signs Welsh farmers were today urged to be vigilant following the detection of Schmallenberg Virus (SBV) antibodies in three cows and one calf on premises i... Three new Holstein bulls launched at Livestock 2012 Three new Holstein bulls representing cutting-edge genetics, A2A2 milk and outstanding daughter fertility have been launched this week at Livestock 20... Liver fluke prevalence at very high levels Farmers are being warned about a “very high” prevalence of liver fluke disease across the UK in the latest National Animal Disease Information Service... Cuts could leave council vulnerable to animal diseases Data on animal movement that may be essential in the event of a disease outbreak such as food and mouth, will no longer be kept on file by Cumbria cou... Financial health key to animal welfare - EU commissioner The EU agricultural commissioner has claimed that the financial health of the industry is key to controlling animal health risks. Addressing the Wo... MEPs call for greater animal welfare enforcement The European Parliament has called for better enforcement of current legislation on animal welfare and the adoption of a 'science-based' framework on ... Vets express disappointment over badger cull halt The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has used its annual dinner to call for action on welfare at slaughter, stronger legislation over dog breeding... Schmallenberg vaccine produced The development of a candidate vaccine against the Schmallenberg virus has been announced by MSD Animal Health. The first cases of the disease first a... Vets call for action on welfare legislation and surveillance plans The British Veterinary Association has called on Scottish Government to make progress with secondary legislation under the Animal Health and Welfare A... Veterinarians demand faster diagnostics Speed and accuracy are the key features that veterinarians and farmers want from diagnostic tests, a new Europe wide survey has revealed. More than... Veterinary profession must meet demands of food sector - report The multi-stakeholder Veterinary Development Council (VDC) today publishes its report setting out practical ways to help the veterinary profession mee... Swine infection screening using oral fluids Large numbers of pigs could be screened more quickly and cost-effectively for a range of common pathogens, such as PRRSV, SIV and PCV2, thanks to a ne... Climate change poses malaria risks There were about 216 million cases of malaria and an estimated 655,000 deaths in 2010, according to the World Malaria Report 2011. Malaria mortalit... Producers urged to vaccinate lambs The warm and sunny March weather was a godsend for the many UK sheep units lambing during the month, but producers must not become complacent if they ... New research launched into neglected cattle diseases Four European academic research groups, together with Pfizer Animal Health, have forged a new research consortium to combat uterine disease - a proble... JSR launch ’Faster Finishing’ Boar Pig and Poultry Fair 2012 will see the launch of a keenly anticipated new Sireline, the ’faster finishing’ JSR Geneconverter 800m Boar, by... Novartis produces sheep parasite protection chart Novartis Animal Health has published a product usage chart aimed at SQPs and vets that gives guidance on the use of ectoparasites through the seasons.... Bee health a top priority, says crop protection boss Rejecting calls for a ban on certain insecticidal seed treatments, the crop protection industry has moved to highlight the regulatory controls and ste... Vets urge caution over superbug claims The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has urged caution over the findings of a Soil Association literature review, published today, which cites "ov... Inspectors deployed at ports for first time in decades RSPCA inspectors were at a UK port today for the first time in more than a decade to check the welfare of hundreds of calves and sheep being shipped a... RSPCA pledges zero tolerance to welfare breaches at ports The RSPCA’s new chief executive, Thanet Council and Compassion in World Farming have all pledged zero tolerance to breaches of animal welfare or... New pig welfare standards ’must be enforced’ New rules for the pig industry are intended to create a more-even set of welfare standards across Europe and stop some farmers - such as those in Brit... Organisations attack Welsh stance on badger cull Veterinary associations, the CLA and the NFU have expressed enormous disappointment at the backwards step being taken by the Welsh Government, which h... New vet meds scheme makes online buying safer for farmers Farmers can have more confidence in buying livestock medicines online after NFU lobbying resulted in the launch of a new accreditation scheme for vet ... Minister bans movement of battery eggs Minister of State for Agriculture and Food, James Paice MP, has confirmed that eggs being produced in barren battery cages across the EU, and egg prod... Concerns rise over Schmallenberg Welsh livestock farmers have expressed their worries about the potential spread of Schmallenberg Virus (SBV) following the increasing incidence of the...