It has been a tough year for cattle, going from a wet spring straight into a dry, hot summer.

Farmers in the west are enjoying a much-welcomed longer summer; a change from 2025 where cattle were being housed in late August, while in the south, it’s full winter mode with the drought forcing farmers into feeding winter fodder supplies.

Cattle, for the most part, have performed well this year despite the poor grass growth over the last number of weeks.

ADVERTISEMENT

Despite this, the poor spring and a hot summer will have knock-on effects on animals’ immunity and it is crucial farmers pay close attention to animals’ health this autumn.

As we enter into the back-end of the year, we now turn our heads to autumn animal health plans.

Beef Welfare Scheme

Many farms will be selling weanlings over the coming months and likewise, the buyers will also be out.

In this week’s Focus, on page 48, Darren Carty takes a look and what you need to know about the 2026 Beef Welfare Scheme. The scheme offers farmers a good support for important management practices. Feeding meal and vaccination is paramount to reducing pneumonia cases in weanlings this autumn.

With the return of rain, we have a must-read piece from Animal Health Ireland warning of a potential explosion of worms as a result of the warm weather. This is a vital reminder for farmers to listen for signs of coughing and consult your vet on a dosing programme if lungworm is a concern.

On pages 44 and 45 we have a timely piece from Teagasc on selective dry cow therapy, an important management practice for ensuring we minimise our antibiotic usage where possible and protecting cows in the dry period ahead of 2027 calving.

On page 46, Darren Carty reports on the drop in BVD cases to date in 2026, with the number of positive calves 28% lower than in 2025.