There was lots of food for thought last week. While some of it was in the animal health space, a lot of it challenged my thinking on issues beyond the farm gate.

I was on farm on the bank holiday Monday with Agri Aware in Dublin, promoting and showcasing to the general public and consumers what happens on a livestock farm. It was a great day with so much on show. My role included talking about calf rearing, milking a cow to talking through the shearing of a sheep.

I had many conversations with the attendees. It struck me for the most part that there is now a massive and well-recognised disconnect between people and where their food comes from.

Food education

I think the importance of open days like these is now very important. However, they only scratch the surface and highlight the need for food education to be part of our school curriculum. Three people asked about sourcing milk from cows that had their calves left with them.

When I explained why there are few, if any, brands that do this, people were more comfortable when they understood some of the science around calf separation. These are difficult conversations but without them the disconnect grows wider.

I also tackled the issue of cute calves’ final destination being for meat. It sounds simple but many are far removed from the process.

Worms and more worms

On Tuesday, I attended a workshop on parasites held by Norbrook. Professor Neil Sargesson, an expert in this area, was one of the speakers. He made many great points, highlighting the challenges we face with parasites in a grazing system:

  • Go back to first principles and remember parasite control is not just about products or wormers. It is about understanding the conditions outside the animal that allow worms and larvae to multiply and keep the risk high.
  • There is massive value in regular weighing of animals as a way of monitoring parasites. If animals are hitting targets at grazing, ask why.
  • Resistance is a growing problem and every farmer should be looking to do drench resistance tests to check if dosing is working.
  • Contract rearing was highlighted as a risk if calves are being reared on farms with low worm burdens. When there heifers return as older replacements, they may be more at risk where higher stocking densities are more likely.
  • Proper application of wormers is so important. Use the right dose for the right animal by the right route. Pour-ons have now made it easier than ever but need to be applied correctly. Scoury animals excrete oral wormers quicker so make informed decisions about dosing.
  • The value of using steroids for cattle with heavy lungworm infections.

    • Finally, towards the end of the week, we had the highly charged Beef Summit in Ballinasloe, Co Galway. For me, one thing that made me think was the small animal rights protest. I’m not even sure what this group was trying to say as members were escorted out the side door as they began shouting.

    What struck me was this was a meeting where farmers were voicing their concerns about the survival of their industry. I presume their protest wasn’t far removed from disabling or completely stopping this industry.

    I have long held the belief that good animal welfare and good farm performance are directly linked

    It certainly was a first for me to see this type of protest right in the heart of an Irish farming event. I think it echoes an ever-changing and challenging environment in the whole area of animal welfare.

    There will be many people talking about animal welfare, I strongly urge farmers to take control and make sure they dictate the narrative on this one.

    Animal welfare does not have to be something that scares us. I have long held the belief that good animal welfare and good farm performance are directly linked.

    It was a week when I saw many challenges. I could not help but think with problems there is always the opportunity to seek out solutions.