Scotland's Rural College releases health app for beef farmers
New health web-app improves farm productivity
21 October 2024
2 minute read
By: A dynamic new web application has been designed to enhance health risk management for beef and sheep farmers and their vets, according to a press release from Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) Veterinary Services.
Developed by SRUC’s Veterinary Services team and funded by the Scottish Government, HerdPlan empowers farmers and vets to collaboratively create proactive health plans, efficiently and in an organised manner, ultimately enhancing productivity and increasing farm income.
The web-based app was officially launched last Thursday at the BCVA Congress. According to its developers, Herdplan revolutionises health planning by moving beyond traditional paper methods. This new online tool allows the entire farm team—including farm staff, vets, nutritionists, and other advisors—to work together efficiently on health planning and conduct regular risk reviews. By ensuring vaccination strategies, infectious disease protocols, biosecurity measures, and other important tasks are prioritised and updated in real-time, HerdPlan enhances overall health risk management.
HerdPlan also simplifies compliance with health plan requirements set by Red Tractor and QMS, ensuring that nothing is overlooked in the approval process. It facilitates vet’s approvals, antibiotic reviews and other health and welfare assessments, making it easy for both farmers and vets to meet necessary standards and confirm that all requirements are met.
“HerdPlan lets you respond to real-world challenges as they arise. Implementing new health protocols into your plan as they are needed, it ensures that your entire team is always aware of the latest farm health information," said Foteini Manolaraki, Animal Health Planning Development Manager at SRUC. "By prioritising prevention over cure, HerdPlan ultimately keeps more money on the farm and ensures that essential tasks are completed on time."
Farmers and vets can now access HerdPlan to streamline their health planning processes and improve the sustainability of their operations.
