It’s been a relatively quiet start to the summer in relation to animal health. Good weather and good grass growth have meant there has been no pressure on systems.

The usual suspects of scours in late-born calves, tetany and a few cases of red water last week in the north-west seem to sum up the issues on the ground at the moment. It’s important to remain vigilant and keep on top of routine tasks like herding and health treatments over the next few weeks.

In this week’s animal health focus, Aidan Brennan asks whether dosing cows in summer is really necessary and goes through some of the questions you should ask before you embark on a programme of summer dosing for worms on dairy farms.

The next few months should be used to bring everybody up to speed on what will happen at the end of the year

Darren Carty takes a look at mastitis in ewes and how to avoid it, treat it and make sure it doesn’t become a big problem on sheep farms in the coming months. We also take a look at faecal sampling weanlings before dosing.

All farmers have a responsibility to ensure that resistance to dosing products doesn’t become a huge problem on Irish farms. Declan Marren has some useful tips on keeping dairy cross calves healthy at pasture.

The extension to the current legislation on prescribing of dosing products and licensed medicines shouldn’t be a cause to put things on the long finger until November 2022, when the new regulations are due to kick in.

It’s my understanding that there has been minimal engagement and dialogue between farmers, vets, merchants and the Department of Agriculture, and there is a genuine lack of understanding regarding what the new regulations will mean for farmers and vets in particular.

The next few months should be used to bring everybody up to speed on what will happen at the end of the year.