TheDairySite Newsletter - 11 March 2011

Friday 11th March 2011

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Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial: Tackling Brucellosis And TB In The UK

Another attempt has been made to deliberately infect a herd of cattle in Armagh, Northern Ireland, with brucellosis.

The Department of Agriculture has expressed its revulsion at the finding of part of calf carcase in silage being used to feed a group of heifers.

Minister Michelle Gildernew said that if the leg of the calf was infected with brucellosis, there is a real risk that cattle eating the silage will also now have brucellosis.

“There have been several incidents in Armagh in the last year that have led to local hot-spots of disease. This has cost the taxpayer and farmers millions of pounds. Any malicious attempt to spread disease is an attack on the whole of the farming community."

“The level of brucellosis has reduced by two-thirds in the last two years and my Department are pressing hard to achieve eradication. So it is particularly appalling that we are again dealing with a despicable attempt to deliberately infect cattle with brucellosis,” she said.

In Wales, plans for tackling bovine tuberculosis (TB) have progressed with the Welsh Assembly announcing that The Tuberculosis (Wales) Order 2011, will come into force on 31 March 2011.

The Order puts the prevention and management of incidents of bovine TB in camelids, goats and deer on a similar footing to the arrangements already in place for cattle. It does not introduce a requirement for regular testing or for Pre Movement Testing.

However, it will introduce controls to help prevent the spread of disease and for compensation when these animals are slaughtered due to bovine TB.

NFU Cymru Deputy President said: "We recognise the decision to cull wildlife in disease hotspots is not an easy one, however the farming industry does agree with the Assembly Government that this is the only viable option to deliver a successful eradication programme in the intensive action area.

“It must be remembered that this is only part of a much wider package that the industry and government are committed to."

Charlotte Johnston

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 4 new features this week:

Breeding Innovation In Action: Does Size Matter?
The UK is fortunate to have many great breeds of dairy cow, and over the years these have been bred to suit the wide variety of management systems, climates and dairy products we enjoy in this country, said Peter Willies, Nocton Dairies Ltd, at the British Cattle Breeders Conference.

AD on Farms Could Turn Agriculture Green
Research carried out by the Rural Economy and Land Use Programme has shown that small scale digesters on farms could be profitable for farmers, good for the environment and help the UK meet targets on green energy and greenhouse gas emissions.

Index Input Costs in French Agriculture
The new president of the national federation of farmers' unions (FNSEA), Xavier Beulin has advocated indexing input costs as a buffer against such phenomena as soaring cereal prices, reports Peter Crosskey.

How Big A Problem Is Dairy Cow Mortality In The US?
Franlyn Garry from Colorado State University, has said that the frequency of adult dairy cow mortality appears to be increasing, and is related to culling, disease, and injury problems.

Company News

Intervet/Schering-Plough Completes Delivery Of FMD Vaccine
SOUTH KOREA - Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health announces today that it has shipped 12 million doses of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine to South Korea to assist in the country’s efforts to halt the ongoing FMD outbreak.

VIV And ILDEX Tie Up In India
INDIA - VNU Exhibitions Europe and NCC Exhibition Organizer (NEO) have decided to bring their respective brands of VIV and ILDEX together together in India next year for VIV/ILDEX India 2012.

BIOMIN’s Biotronic Top3 To Capitalise On Perforizer Effect
THAILAND - BIOMIN launches Biotronic® Top3, a new natural growth promoter combining carefully selected ingredients with a scientifically proven synergism for improved animal performance.

Global Dairy Cattle Industry News