Sheep
Sheep veterinarian, Phillipa Page, has referenced Iceberg diseases as contributing significantly to reductions in flock productivity.
Dairy
Lameness continues to be a scourge in Irish dairy herds, with the problem often being that issues are not noticed early enough.
Animal Health Ireland (AHI) recently held a heathy hooves to healthy herds event on the Walsh's family farm in Ballyroan, Co. Laois.
Lameness
The causes, management, and production effects of lameness in sheep was one of the topics discussed at the Teagasc National Sheep Conference.
As oestrus activity begins to settle down, farmers should use the next couple of weeks to identify issues with cow flow.
Infectious diseases are usually the biggest burden while cows are housed, but the risk of infections could be on the rise again.
In the build up to the breeding season, there will be a focus on keeping lameness to a minimum to ensure the oestrus cycle goes unaffected.
White line disease and sole bruising can lead to serious lameness issues at this time of the year as cows get back out to grass.
Ahead of the busy calving season, farmers need to focus in on the key areas that need improving to prevent the onset of lameness.
Rural Life
Agriland heard from two students about how their project GaitKeeper can detect lameness in dairy herds through a low-cost video analysis system.
As the 2025 season comes to an end, it's worth considering developing a herd health plan for 2026 to see where things can be improved.
With 2025 drawing to a close, it's time to put a lameness control plan in place for 2026 that will help boost animal welfare on the farm.
Maintaining body condition in pregnant ewes is the most important job between now and lambing time, according to Teagasc.
With cows now in for winter housing and farm roadways quieting down, it is time to address any issues with cow flow.
Digital dermatitis, commonly known as Mortellaro, can be a serious issue at this time of the year as the bacteria easily spreads in slurry.
The heavy rain over the weekend will more than likely have brought a halt to the majority of grazing around the country.
With the majority of cows now housed, farmers should consider updating existing roadways in an effort to prevent lameness.
Lameness is a scourge seen in over 10% of the national dairy herd, which becomes even harder to control at this time of the year.
As the end of the grazing season approaches, farmers should be considering foot bathing their cows to protect against winter lameness.
Lameness issues often escalate in the late lactation and moving into the autumn months as conditions and weather slowly begin to deteriorate
Agri-Business
A new initiative from Animal Health Ireland (AHI) to address lameness in dairy herds is set to get underway with 10 pilot dairy farms.
Farmers should be looking at the ground conditions as an opportunity to revamp roadways to prevent lameness this autumn and into next...
Lameness may become an issue as cows are getting closer to the end of their lactation and will only be getting heavier in calf by the day,..
