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I am able to update the blog now as we were literally just about to go out to weigh the cattle from the sheds and administer their bluetongue vaccine booster but the heavens have opened in a sudden deluge and instead I find I have a few spare minutes to quickly tap the keys before starting another large task. It is very cold, and very wet and I think I am now not sorry to be stuck indoors.
The 400 acres of drilled spring corn and our first row of early potatoes in the garden will benefit from the rain. Unfortunately we had not quite finished rolling all the arable seed beds after drilling, but as we have had a run of almost perfect weather there are few complaints. Within five minutes of the squall arriving the tractor drivers have phoned in to say they are now returning to the yard.
Our first suckler calf of the season, a heifer, was born on Saturday and is doing well, although her mother is currently not in the greatest shape and is under the care of the vet. This particular cow had lost condition and has had blood tests to try to work out what is wrong when she is eating well and well in herself but she is lacking in condition. We knew she isn’t ill, as such, as she gave the vet and I such a run around in the yard on Thursday when he came out to examine her. Eventually, after several attempts of nearly getting her to the gate [even with food] only to have her return to the far end of the yard we had to let out Ruby the pet cow out in order to get them both up the race and into the cattle crush.
Persuading Ruby back into her byre after the patient was safely penned was slightly perilous too. It is Ruby’s first time out of the byre this winter and in the warm sunshine she was very frisky. I waved a bucket with food in the bottom from the end of the yard and she is so greedy that she galloped up the concrete, flat out, kicking her heels out to one side as she ran. I stopped her quite easily but then rather lost my nerve to continue with persuading her to go back to bed as her byre was still some distance away and she was desperate to get at the food even if it meant barging into me. I handed the bucket to Jethro [who had just arrived] and he grasped it, rather like the baton in a relay race, and sped down the yard with his naughty red heifer galloping flat out after him…
Recently, there have been huge developments in the fight against Bluetongue (BT) disease. I have received a lot of information from far flung parts of the country and it takes time, on top of a busy life here at the farm, to finally put it on here in a coherent manner.
The first information came from Wales which became a Protected Zone (PZ) earlier this month, allowing vaccination to start and trade to be allowed with all other PZ’s.
However this is not as straightforward as it seems as Wales is a huge livestock area, comprising many small farms, with incomes to match. The vaccine is expensive and there is much conflicting advice as to how best to proceed.
Apart from imported livestock [where does it state clearly anywhere in the public domain if these tests were for antibodies or actual infection] no actual new case of BT has been reported in the UK this summer, and apparently DEFRA have not looked for any. It is also quite cold, and farmers generally find it hard to believe that BT infected midges will cause havoc especially in Wales and in the north this year. Farmers have or are just about to put their rams in with the ewes. It is a generally recognised fact that vaccination will have to be repeated next spring. So the question from Wales is why repeat it next Spring, why not give primary vaccination next Spring?
The second information came from Scotland who have announced a compulsory vaccination programme for all farm livestock to be completed between 1st November this year and April next year. Additional details can be found in this article from The Herald.
This heartfelt message came by email:
“There are no clinical guidelines on vaccine use and rumour is rife: muddles with half heard stories and Europe’s experience last year, also there is the alleged cop out from the vaccine companies who want to guard themselves against being sued, and DEFRA who appear to not take any responsibility either.
The confusion is such: don’t vaccinate your rams now or they might be infertile, don’t vaccinate ewes from 2 weeks before serving until 2 weeks after- the rams remain in with the ewes for 9 weeks here [Wales], so Christmas will come before it is ’safe’.
The rumours continue: the vaccine may cause foetal loss, may disturb cattle cycling, vaccination may reduce milk yield in lactating cows or goats and buyers of store lambs don’t want it as they are fearful of temperature affects on the meat. Then there is the problem about fitting it in with other vaccines and medicines another raft of cautions given by the manufacturers excluding its use with any other medicine.”
Another famer asked if they should put off giving anti-liver fluke treatment for the vaccine but after such a wet summer missing a crucial dose against liver fluke would be a major mistake. Jethro once bought sheep from a fluke area [unknowingly] and they were very ill before we learnt what was wrong and treated them accordingly.
And another email came from a farmer with a strong background in human medical science:
“Really with farm animals that are about to get pregnant, are pregnant, are suckling young or fattening for the butcher the cautious advice from the drug companies means that hardly any can be safely vaccinated according to their guidance. Of course the vaccine has been taken off the shelf as quickly as possible so perhaps some of the safety testing that might have been done on young or pregnant animals for example has not been completed yet.
There is no one for the vets to turn to for clinical guidance [unlike in human medicine], there are no consultants in veterinary infectious disease to ask for advice, so they must bow to the farmers who must pay for everything and withstand any financial loss.
Even my own vet is going to wait and vaccinate his sheep flock next Spring. Really, I have to agree that that is the most sensible and economic policy, however I have vaccinated my own livestock.
Vaccination next Spring is really the most important vaccination time. It would be most convenient when the animals are in and before lambing. Somehow farmers must also learn they have to vaccinate the young next summer as well before there is a window for infection when maternally derived antibody has waned, in convenient batches.”
The livestock here at Prosperous Farm were vaccinated in May and June this year. We plan to vaccinate the cows and the ewes next March in what will become a routine annual vaccination. The calves and lambs will get some immunity from their dams, and will be individually vaccinated at around one month of age. The calves of course will receive a second booster dose 3 – 4 weeks after the first.
It is a horrible situation for the whole industry. Conflicting advice, multiple rumours, lack of actual science and the sheer practicalities [and costs] of vaccinating millions of animals who reside for most of the year in the far flung hills and dales of Britain are truly formidable. Initial reports suggest that Cumbria and Northumberland will follow the Scottish plan but there is a meeting organised by the National Sheep Association to be held at Hexham on 30th September so it will be interesting to see if the consensus changes in October.
There is one other important point to make and it will be a very contentious one. BT is a notifiable disease and by law must be reported to DEFRA immediately. However, even if farmers were able to identify that they had a suspected case of BT [clinical signs are not always obvious] in all honesty why would they actually bother to report it? There is no compensation, and it seems that there has been little routine testing by DEFRA out looking for this infection, or if they have been testing it has been kept very quiet.
The consequences of reporting a potential case are all financial: movement restrictions, lack of trade, and potential longer term consequences especially if the farmer has pedigree livestock. I think that with human nature being as it is will mean that nothing will be said, except perhaps by a few.
Nevertheless this worries me as I do firmly believe that the British farmer is generally honest, reliable, hardworking and cares deeply for his animals, it is the attitude of powers that be and lack of genuine concern for the industry that have let the farmers [and their animals] down and brought us sadly to this point.
Farming, as a career, has always required courage and ingenuity by those involved and I am not sure in recent times that this has always been recognised. However, perhaps as the credit crunch bites a bit harder people will reflect a bit more on what they buy to eat and how it is produced. I hope this will develop into a new found respect for those that are coping with the double challenges of this awful weather and diseases such as Bluetongue and Bovine TB.
This long running spell of poor weather has also impacted considerably on the livestock industry as both hay for feed and straw for bedding are in very short supply, and the quality of the grass for grazing animals is also affected by the incessant wet and lack of sun. We have enough hay, straw and silage here but there are many farms, particularly those in the Upland areas including England, Wales and Scotland who do not. This will feel like a very long winter for all of us as we all feel we missed out on enough sun and it has been a hard struggle since July.
Nevertheless the days are so busy, and so long, that there is no time to dwell on the latest disaster as there is always another chore to do. This is what keeps Jethro and all the other farmers going.
On top of moving yet more grain around, and finally finishing harvesting the wheat this afternoon [at only 16 % moisture] the ewe flock were all sorted today into the ones to keep and the ones to sell. A top up dose of fly repellent was administered before they went back to the fields.
Later this week they will be sorted again into: the few ‘fatties’ to go on a diet with less grass and tighter grazing; the normal ones just turned back out into the fields; and the ‘thinnies’ to get some extra feed. All will be given a dose of wormer too. These vital elements of good flock management enable the majority of the sheep to be in the right condition for mating [tupping] in 8 weeks time. [NB: We lamb later than many sheep farmers on purpose to reduce costs and get the most from the spring grass.]
No year is ever the same and in truth probably no day the same either. An email message has gone around from the National Farmers Union and the RABI asking for farmers to help others in their area with either combining or drying corn. In this area we have not had it anything like as bad as many other areas. Some of the pictures posted on this page show just how the weather has impacted on harvest 2008.
Right now I know everyone would welcome a chance to draw breath and to know for certain that the weather was about to stay dry long enough to progress the work. Crystal ball anyone? Nevertheless wishful thinking must be better than being downhearted.
The DEFRA site now reports that 18 cattle imported into County Durham have tested POSITIVE for BLUETONGUE.
This has been allowed to happen before vaccination has taken place throughout the area and immunity built up in the North Eastern livestock.
Is there no common sense anywhere? In the farmers who should know better than to jeopardize this nation’s livestock or DEFRA for allowing importation into an area that was only allowed to vaccinate 10 days ago? It takes time for immunity to build up and cattle need two doses 21 – 28 days apart before this immunity begins to build [depending which vaccine is used].
I still believe that we are an Island and special care should be taken over importation.
Surely there is no single farming business so financially reliant on importing stock from a BT ridden zones that it is worth the risks to the entire industry?
I have said it before, this is a bluetongue mess, and complacency must not win. We have to unite, to vaccinate and not import from disease ridden areas.
Everyone has collective responsibility from the stakeholders, DEFRA, and each individual livestock farmer. Our livestock depend on us making the right decisions to keep them healthy and this includes not taking unnecessary risks such as importing without thinking through the consequences of such acts and the relevant policies.
NB: Bluetongue only affects livestock and does not affect people.
Added 9.20pm 11 Sept 08
For important information regarding import testing please read this ProMed commentary. More information can also be found at Warmwell.
Yesterday, we vaccinated seven calves against Bluetongue (BT) disease. This is the eighth time since May that Jethro has had to get the cattle in to vaccinate against this hideous disease. We were one of the first areas to be given the vaccine and owing to the fact that the cows calve steadily through the spring and summer months it has meant batching the calves and doing a few at a time, and then repeating 3 – 4 weeks later with the second booster dose on each calf. It is not an easy task, but one we take seriously and I wish that all the nation’s livestock keepers and policy makers were of the same mind.
The country is in a mess over the vaccinating programme, as devolved Scotland has decided so far not to vaccinate, despite the National Beef Association petition [please sign].
Wales and the north of England [ Cumbria and Northumberland ]are this month able to vaccinate and yet many individuals are dithering over whether to do so as they worry over potential trading difficulties with Scotland and other areas. However, in July, we were offered steers to buy from Lincolnshire and we turned them down as they were not vaccinated. The vendor was not bothered stating clearly that because others had vaccinated he did not need to. We have a lot of midges and whether there is BT around here or not*, we choose to vaccinate all our cattle and sheep, and we do not want to jeopardise our animals’ health and well-being by bringing in un-vaccinated ones. The new born calves get some immunity in the antibodies from the colostrum [first milk] until we are able to immunize them individually. [* DEFRA should do further testing across the country so we know if there is an underlying problem with BT infection or not. However the test must be able to discern the difference between either infection related antibodies or a stimulated response following vaccination. Clarification here]
Britain is a small country and to protect our livestock we need to be totally united, as we and all our livestock all reside TOGETHER on one island there should be one policy and devolution should be overruled.
For heavens sake, we are an Island!
Why, why, why do we import animals AND THEREFORE NASTY DISEASES in to this country, especially from an area with a known disease problem and we are still learning about this terrible disease and its effects?
We have good livestock in this country already [some of the best in the world], and other countries have import bans on live animals to protect their own industries. I am entirely with the Icelanders on this issue. Their Parliament decreed in 980AD that no imports of horses, and other livestock would be allowed, and this ruling still stands today. Icelandic animals may have developed a certain uniqueness over the last 1028 years, nevertheless they also have an enviable disease free status too.
Other countries also have restrictive import polices or outright bans from certain areas of the world and many are far better than us at policing the import of food, especially meat, through the airports. Why can’t the UK be better at all this, and try looking after ourselves for a change.
Today there are 2 reported case of BLUETONGUE disease in the south of England, both could have been prevented by not importing. Whatever were the farmers thinking?
More on this and the regular update later…
PS For more indepth info regarding the outbreak and further in depth facts please go to Mary’s site
