MANAGING DISEASE RISKS IN A NEW DAIRY HERD
So you’ve planned the new dairy herd, you have the finance, costings, cashflows, buildings, contracts, suppliers all sorted and most importantly you know the risks and penalties with them all. So now you need to source some cows to milk, but that in itself raises another list of important questions, as independent consultant Alasdair Mcnab points out
What are the risks to your business with buying in cattle? The key risk is disease which needs to be anticipated, identified and managed. Integral to this will be finding out about the disease management approach in the herd of origin. Other disease risks that need to be addressed are TB status, antibiotic and anthelmintic resistance.
When cattle are mixed there are three phases when disease appears. It can be immediate (pneumonia), medium term (calf scour) or long-term (BVD, Johne’s). The short and medium phases can generally be mitigated with a combination of management and vaccines, however, long-term diseases need a screening programme. Success is like a chain, as strong as its weakest link, and the steps you
54 THE JOURNAL APRIL 2015
take in sourcing your stock will determine your future success in managing disease.
What diseases should you consider? • For all cattle regardless of source you need to consider endemic diseases. Top of the list is TB and your approach to TB control will depend on where in the country you are going to farm.
• BVD is a major problem in the industry, causing infertility, increased susceptibility to disease, scours and death. There is a control policy in place in Scotland.
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