Lameness in cows hitting farmers in the pocket

THE average lame cow loses around 400 litres of milk per annum — the equivalent to €150 at current average milk prices.

British animal medicine expert Ronnie Blowey told the recent Cattle Association of Veterinary Ireland (CAVI) Annual Conference in Cork, that cows with sole ulcers can lose up to 570 litres of milk and 370 litres for white line abscesses.

He also said that excessive standing at the end of milking can cause problems.

“They should be allowed to walk back past fresh food (or pushed up food) and if they walk past and want to lie down, then that is what they should be allowed to do.

“Milking times should be examined to make sure that cows are standing for the minimum time possible,” Mr Blowey added.

The Knowledge Transfer programme was highlighted in a number of presentations. Results from Year 1 risk assessment data demonstrate that not all farmers are achieving targets related to health, disease, mortality or welfare but that specific issues are now being identified through the initiative, which are helping farmers to develop solutions and improve practices.

CAVI chairman Conor Geraghty demonstrated results of a study of 100 sheep farmers in Co Galway showing that only 25pc of sheep farmers in the study are meeting their lamb survival targets.

In this context, the Knowledge Transfer Risk Assessment data will become a valuable resource for farmers to improve output.