by Becca Price
BVetMed MRCVS
Friars Moor Livestock Health

WE are very lucky here at Friars Moor to work with such proactive and forward-thinking farmers. There is always much scrutiny in the media concerning antibiotic residues and animal welfare, but industry standards and regulations are well adhered to, and it is very evident on farm the care that goes into running a dairy, beef or sheep farm.

Most of our farmers are signed up to the Red Tractor assurance scheme – the familiar logo on British produce often seen in supermarkets. By being a Red Tractor accredited farm they are regularly inspected and adhere to certain conditions as laid out for each enterprise.

One such condition is having a Herd/Flock Health Plan produced with their routine vet. This health plan allows the vet and farmer to sit down and discuss what is going well, what issues they’ve identified over the last year and what needs to be done in future to maintain high standards.

This proactive approach allows us to look at the herd/flock statistics, identify problems and find the best solutions – such as starting vaccinations or running diagnostics. Year on year it is good to look back at these plans, and quite often we see that through these discussions and plans a significant reduction in antibiotic usage is made.

Indeed, in terms of reducing antibiotic usage in farm animals the UK is reaching and exceeding targets. Since 2014 the sale of antibiotics for food-producing animals has halved, meaning that only 30% of the UK’s total antibiotic usage is attributed to farm animals (source: NFU).

Not only this, but there are very strict controls in using antibiotics and other drugs for food-producing species. All our dairy farmers are required to attend a Milksure course, teaching them about appropriate antibiotic treatment and withdrawal periods designed to stop antibiotic milk residues from entering the bulk milk tank and being distributed to buyers. Regular testing ensures compliance. Similarly, all Red Tractor clients are required to attend a Medicines course, to learn about appropriate usage.

As in many situations, prevention is always better than cure. There are many ways to achieve this – good hygiene and biosecurity, regular monitoring of animals and vaccinations being some of them. We run regular meetings for our beef and sheep farmers, as well as a Youngstock rearing group, which allows discussions and positive change to be made by creating conversation around common issues and good solutions.

Working with our farmers it is evident that we are incredibly lucky to have such high standards of health and welfare on British farms, and now more than ever it is important to back British farming to ensure it stays that way.