DEAR SIR: I am delighted to see that you acknowledge the need for herd health plans as per your editorial last week. The statement “too many farmers and vets continue to adopt a fire brigade approach where action is only taken in response to an emergency” is unfortunately largely true.

This, however, would not be the case if vets were listened to way back in 1998 when the dairy hygiene certificate was first introduced. At that time, the veterinary organisations trained every practitioner in the country in the approach to herd health and many of us practised it until it ran into the stone wall of the farm organisations who vehemently resisted it.

The dairy hygiene certificate was subsequently revisited to such an extent that it is now almost meaningless. It is only logical that a farmer should plan his herd health with his vet in the light of the problems encountered on the farm.

Disease outbreaks can be very expensive and proper planning can hugely reduce this.

Medicines are very expensive and there are not very many new antibiotic-type medicines coming on stream. Therefore, an hour or two at the kitchen table with a farmer reviewing his operation and his problems is a real investment in his herd and will cost far less than the possible losses and expenses on medicines in the event of a disease outbreak. I therefore congratulate you on your editorial and see it as a new beginning.