Royal Veterinary College to set up a farm investigation service‏
Veterinary surgeons and students from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) are heading to Wales to establish a farm health investigation service for vets and farmers in the South Wales region. The RVC is working in collaboration with the Coleg Sir Gar (Carmarthenshire College), Welsh Assembly Government, the University of Aberystwyth and the Veterinary Laboratory Agency to set up the Welsh Regional Veterinary Centre (WRVC).
This project will also allow the RVC’s final year students (BVetMed) to gain invaluable experience with cattle herds and sheep flocks. Although students are able to experience working with cattle and sheep at the college’s campus in Hertfordshire, they do not always get the chance to work with larger herds as the number of livestock is decreasing in this part of the UK. The average size of commercial cattle herds and sheep flocks has been growing over recent years, making it increasingly important for students to gain the essential skills needed for the diagnosis and management of problems in population health and production medicine.
"The Royal Veterinary College is leading this project largely to give students essential experience of preventative planning for improving health and production on farms, but we also hope that this service will be of use to the local vets and farmers,’ said Steven van Winden, lecturer in production animal medicine at the Royal Veterinary College. ’We will be working with the farmers’ own vets to identify problems that might impair the health, welfare or productivity of animals in the herds or flocks. We hope that farmers and vets in the area will start to use our service and that they will consider us as an extra pair of hands."
Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales, Dr Christianne Glossop said: "This service should become a real asset for the industry in Wales. Farmers can take advantage of the input of highly skilled veterinary academics complemented by the energy and enthusiasm of veterinary students while the experience will contribute to a continued high standard of training for the profession; it’s a mutually beneficial arrangement."
Farm health investigations involve examinations of animal housing, the environment, nutrition, and general management practices within relevant components of the farm enterprise. Two RVC veterinary surgeons, currently based at the college farm in Gelli Aur, Carmarthen, work with local vets to identify problems that might impair the health, welfare or productivity of animals in the herd or flock. The inquiry usually involves a farm visit for animal examination, an evaluation of production, and an analysis of any relevant management processes. Following the farm visit the WRVC creates an advisory report that is distributed to the farmer and the local vet. At a follow-up visit the findings of the investigation are discussed and the RVC vets and students help to implement the report’s recommendations.
"We welcome this initiative and have already used the services of the WRVC to address a problem of infertility in our dairy herd, " said Will Haresign, Director and Professor of Agriculture at Aberystwyth University. "Together with our colleagues at Coleg Sir Gar, we have strong links out to the commercial farming sector within Wales to assist in encouraging the use of the service. At the same time the University has a number of livestock enterprises that can be used to benefit the RVC student learning experience. It will also help expand our existing research linkages with the RVC, especially in farm animal reproduction".
The farm visits are essential in tailoring the advice to the specifications of the farmers and their specific enterprise. A key aspect of the investigations is the mutual benefit received by the farmer, vet and vet students. Fees for the scheme are being subsidised by the Royal Veterinary College by 90%, therefore the service will cost the farmer £50 for the two visits and the report. The only additional charges are for mileage and any necessary lab fees that might be incurred during the investigation.
