Vet Tommy speaks at farm conference
A Wicklow vet is among the speakers at an upcoming Irish agricultural conference.
Based in Arklow, vet and animal health specialist Tommy Hefferernan will present his report on a cow-centered approach to modern dairy farming at the annual Nuffield Ireland conference which will take place on Friday, November 15.
The report examines the signals for success in dairy farming and the influence on people on the health and performance of dairy cow. It suggests that the biggest impact on cow health and happiness is human interactions, and therefore there is an opportunity to improve education around the biological needs of the modern dairy cow.
Speaking about his findings, Tommy said, ‘I felt many current negative perceptions of agriculture are wrong and sometimes can even be affecting the mental wellbeing of farmers in the extreme. A cow centred approach affords us the opportunity to battle many of negative perceptions around dairy farming.’
This topic will be addressed in a panel discussion with Brendan Gleeson, Secretary General of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Professor Alan Matthews, Trinity College, Dublin and Professor Alice Stanton, Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland and Devenish Nutrition.
The Nuffield Ireland conference aims to discuss agriculture’s role in growing a healthy, sustainable society and to challenge the agricultural community to consider and act on sustainability initiatives in the industry.