A bit of good news arrived this week, with clearance from the Department of Agriculture allowing the farm to sell stock again following an inconclusive TB test result on one cow. The milking cow was deemed inconclusive at the TB herd test from over 350 animals tested over two months ago.

Following the herd test in September, only one cow was deemed inconclusive and hence the recommendation was to slaughter the cow and have the glands cultured. The milking cow went to the factory on 18 October (she made €493). Post-slaughter examination revealed no visible lesions on any tissues, but, irrespective of that result, the advice was to get the cow’s glands cultured.

Results

Farm management spent the last eight weeks waiting for the results. They finally arrived late last week and thankfully showed no presence of of TB. It means the 50 odd cull cows can now be sold from the farm. The debacle shows just shows how European animal disease and regulations can affect a business. If the glands had shown any signs of TB we would have been looking at a herd locked up and requiring two free tests.

Cull cows will be sold this week from Greenfield Kilkenny.

The immediate direct cost to the business was the extra feed required. In the past we have always sold the cull cows in early October to reduce stocking rate and let the remaining cows finish the grazing. Of course, the cull cows could have gone straight to the factory but, as milk price was good, the cows were milked on. Extra feed was required in November. More than 1,000 round bales were in stock so more than 400 of these were fed out to the milking herd during that period.

There are about 400 round bales still in stock to fill the late spring feed. Pit silage is being fed out at the moment. More than 50 cull cows will hopefully be sold this week, probably to a feeder who will buy them and finish them in late January/early February. They are a mix of Friesians and Jersey cross with about 20 first-calvers and the rest a mix of second to sixth lactation.

Read more

Greenfield grazing season finishes

Watch: Greenfield October update – question marks over genomics

All reports from Greenfield farm