The 2024 AXA National Dairy Show is set to introduce an exciting new feature this year, the Rispoval calf village – an innovative and informative space dedicated to all aspects of calf rearing and husbandry.

Dairy farmers and industry professionals attending the show can look forward to expert displays and presentations covering critical topics, such as nutrition, housing, and vaccination programmes.

This new area is designed to be a must-visit destination for those committed to ensuring the future success of dairy farming. Zoetis, a global leader in animal health, is proudly sponsoring the Rispoval calf village.

Marketing and technical manager at Zoetis, Aurelie Moralis, expressed the company’s enthusiasm about the collaboration: “We are thrilled to be this year’s headline sponsor of the Rispoval calf village at the AXA National Dairy Show.”

Rispoval calf village

“For over 20 years, calf health has been a key focus for Zoetis and the Rispoval brand. Healthy calves grow into healthy heifers and cows, a principle we have long understood at Zoetis,” according to Moralis.

Moralis went on to to say that: “Rispoval RS+Pi3 IntraNasal was the first intranasal vaccine on the market, designed to protect young calves from as early as nine-days-of-age against key pneumonia viruses such as RSV and Pi3.”

Moralis highlighted the importance of the early stages of a calf’s life: “Evidence shows that the first 60 days in a calf’s life have a lifelong impact on their future health and productivity as dairy cows.”

She spoke about the immunity, and how it has proven to last at least 12 weeks, making sure young calves are protected during their most vulnerable period.

Moralis also talked about the company’s new claim ‘Rispoval 2’, “which allows a single-shot booster to be given intramuscularly from three-months-of-age, providing an additional six months of protection for RSV and 3 months for Pi3”.

The marketing and technical manager also commented on the effectiveness of the vaccine, as with this new Rispoval protocol, calves receive up to nine months of pneumonia virus protection, with only two handlings.

Zoetis aims to support farmers with solutions that enhance both animal health and farm productivity, and this will be evident at the calf village.

“We look forward to meeting with farmers to understand the key challenges in their businesses this year, and how we can support them.

“High standards of animal health and welfare are crucial for better performance and productivity and also help reduce stress for farmers,” Moralis outlined.

Bonanza Calf Nutrition has been announced as associate sponsors of the Rispoval Calf Village. Bonanza offers farmers a range of superior milk replacer ingredients for rearing their dairy heifers and beef calves.

Their support adds invaluable expertise and adds a further area of interest to the AXA National Dairy Show’s latest addition.

The 2024 AXA National Dairy Show will take place at the Green Glens Arena in Millstreet, Co. Cork, on October 11-12.

This annual event is gearing up to be a great celebration of the Irish dairy industry, bringing together professionals and enthusiasts from across the sector.