Animal health Animal health is key to future of
sustainable livestock production • High health status reduces input costs • Competitive advantage in global market • Good for consumers and environment
ity, environmental responsibility and social acceptability. Failure to do so will incur hefty costs for producers.
H
ealthy livestock are the cornerstone of sustain- ability for the UK live-
stock industry, says a white paper launched by MSD Animal Health. The paper – Healthy livestock produce sustainable food – ar- gues that fostering good animal health maximises production for each unit of input, reduces green- house gas emissions and gives the industry a competitive advantage in the global market.
“The farming industry has worked hard in recent years to improve animal health and wel- fare, reduce antimicrobial use and improve consumer trust, all while driving productivity,” says co-author Paul Williams, techni- cal manager for MSD’s ruminant animal health division. The paper argues that animal health is critical if the sector is to achieve long-term sustaina- bility, including economic viabil-
Higher output “A healthy animal will produce a higher yield per unit of input, while having also increased over- all productivity and lifespan, which for broadly the same rea- sons also results in a smaller car- bon footprint than an unhealthy animal, as more is produced for less resource use,” says Dr Wil- liams.
“
A healthy animal will produce a higher yield per unit of input
Infectious bovine rhinotrache-
itis, for example, costs the cattle industry £200 per sub-clinically infected cow, warns the paper. It also increasing greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram of ener- gy corrected milk by 8%. Meanwhile, the paper says porcine respiratory and repro- ductive syndrome can decrease gross margins by as much as 74% on some pig farms – reducing an- nual output by 15%. This too re- sults in increased resource use per unit of pork produced. “These are signifi cant costs
to both productivity and the en- vironment that can be avoid- ed through improved animal health,” adds Dr Williams.
Advanced industry “Increased productivity, environ- mental sustainability and soci- etal benefi ts of healthy livestock will accommodate future food production, but they need to be boosted by having regulatory frameworks, benchmarks and incentives in place.
“The UK has one of the most advanced farming industries in the world, and we’ve seen a marked reduction in antimicro- bial use as a result of industry benchmarking. However, it is es- timated that 20% of animal pro- duction worldwide is lost as a re- sult of disease.” To continue to meet the chal- lenge of improving livestock health and productivity,
the
paper argues that UK produc- ers must emulate these bench- marks by placing animal health, disease prevention and sustain- ability at the heart of their busi- ness strategy.
“By putting best-in-class prac-
tice, such as high standards of biosecurity and stockmanship, and using vaccination to protect against future infection, at the top of the agenda, the rewards will be seen far beyond the farmgate.”
Bolus technology firm bolsters R&D plans
Global trace element specialist Agrimin has appointed a vet- erinary scientist to commission and manage the company’s clin- ical trials. From Glasgow, 29-year-old Callum Harvey (pictured) has been confi rmed as the Lincoln- shire-based company’s technical manager. He previously held sen- ior roles at the Knowledge Trans- fer Network and Harbro.
A graduate in Veterinary Bi-
oscience, Mr Harvey will take a lead on all aspects of new prod- uct R&D activity, as well as mul- ti-disciplinary specialists across Agrimin, including animal sci- entists, chemists, engineers, and regulatory experts. He said: “It’s really exciting
to know I’ll be working on every stage of the research and develop- ment, and getting a close under-
standing of what our clients truly want from the Agrimin products they have access to.”
A member of the British So- ciety of Animal Science, Mr Har- vey will be based at the compa- ny’s head offi ce in Kirmington. Established in 1978, Agrimin de- velops, manufactures and mar- kets sustained release mineral, trace element and vitamin bo- lus technologies.
APRIL 2019 • ANGLIA FARMER 63
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