Animal Health Ireland (AHI) has reduced disease and antibiotic usage, Mike Magan AHI chair said at the AHI conference on Wednesday.

He said that we must not underestimate the economic, social, welfare and human costs of disease.

"The Cell Check Programme has helped reduce SCC by 100,000 across the national dairy herd.

"With simple information getting out to farmers through workshops and stakeholders, we have really delivered better colostrum management," he said.

The future is all about partnerships and collaboration within industry

Talking to vets at the conference on Wednesday morning there has been a positive impact from the BVD eradication programme through improved calf health.

The future is about tackling diseases at national level like Johnes and IBR. We must look to other countries across Europe for lessons learned when it comes to eradicating disease.

The future is all about partnerships and collaboration within industry and giving farmers tangible and actionable guidance over the next decade.

EU Health Commissioner

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal at the conference, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Dr Vytenis Andriukaitis said that farmers are being blamed for a lot of things, including climate change.

As he ends his current term, he reflected on the importance of supporting farmers and the need for more science-based decisions at EU level.

Tommy Heffernan with Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaiti.