Animal Health Ireland (AHI) held a Dairy herd health conference in Fermoy, Co Cork on Thursday called ‘Keeping your Dairy Herd Healthy’. Over 150 farmers listened to experts discuss mastitis control, rearing healthy heifers, coughing cows, lameness and genetics for future health.

The day started with a presentation from Bord Bia’s Padraig Brennan who explained quality assurance schemes are not all about achieving a premium on international markets. He said, “the principal objective is to get a market preference and to secure customers.”

Don Crowley from Teagasc and vet Frank O' Sullivan from Co Meath discussed the practical steps to managing somatic cell count. Frank said: “The dry cow period is not only about preventing infection but it is the best time to treat a cow with sub clinical mastitis.” Don Crowley explained that nothing will cure chronic high cell count cows – chronic cows are those with three or more cell counts over one million SCC. "Cull them" was his solution.

Emer Kennedy from Teagasc said to weigh all spring born 2014 calves now and all black and white calves should be 210kg now. Dairy farmer Jim White said: “Feed at night so cows calve in the day and stay away from the tractor work during the spring to give 100% of your focus on baby calves.”

Kerry vet Donal Murphy said hoose is probably the number one cause of coughing in cows but if caught early it can be treated easily. Teagasc vet Riona Sayers explained BVD PI calves must be removed from Irish farms and if buying stock you must quarantine them which is easy to do in the summer by simply leaving them in a paddock on their own.

In the final session, Waterford vet Ger Cusack explained a case of lameness in cows will cost €300 per case due to lost milk, cost of antibiotics etc. Final speaker, Teagasc Geneticist Donagh Berry said, herd health will be the next "big problem" in Irish dairy herds and farmers simply must record more herd health issues on the ICBF database.