The UK Bluetongue Vaccination Strategy has been agreed with industry stakeholders using the overriding principle of facilitating the rapid transfer of vaccine into animals as soon as it becomes available.
The JAB campaign for mass vaccination against bluetongue can step up a gear after Intervet announced its vaccine has been licensed for use in the UK. The news comes as Defra published its roll out plan and guidance notes for livestock keepers and vets.
The European Commission's plans to introduce compulsory electronic identification (EID) for sheep could lead to a significant number of farmers leaving the industry, the NFU warns.
In accordance with our legislative obligations under section 14a of the Animal Health Act 1981 Defra is inviting comments on the proposed Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Regulations 2008.
Bluetongue - vaccine now available Livestock keepers are being urged to order vaccine to protect their sheep and cattle against bluetongue virus (BTV8).
Farm visit for West Fife smallholders Members of Forth Valley and West Fife Smallholders Association enjoyed the first of a planned series of farm visits during March.
New home for tired chickens A hotel in Truro, Cornwall, moved by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's Chicken Out campaign and publicised in Smallholder, is offering a new lease of life to 24 ex-battery hens.Reader comment (1)
The Wild Bird Monitoring Area and associated disease control restrictions put in place following cases of H5N1 Avian Influenza in wild birds in Dorset has been lifted.
Beware of the birds All farmers, smallholders and other landowners are being reminded that the bird nesting season has begun and it is an offence to damage or destroy nests by hedge cutting or tree felling.
Pig farmer at the helm A Cornish farmer, who breeds pigs near Wadebridge and Liskeard, is preparing to preside over his first Annual General Meeting as the new Chairman of South West-based insurer Cornish Mutual.
The Farm Health Planning initiative, led by producers and vets in partnership with DEFRA, has been running successfully for some time and is already well known by farm assured producers.
The clock is ticking as the deadline approaches for farmers who use pesticides on their farm to complete a Crop Protection Management Plan (CPMP) - a key element of the Voluntary Initiative (VI).
FWAG in Dorset have a limited amount of funding still available to offer free Advisory Visits for smallholders and new landowners in West Dorset but they need these to be taken up by the end of March 2008.
With the end of the vector-free period and the threat of more cases of bluetongue, organisations from across all elements of the livestock sector have come together to launch a Joint campaign Against Bluetongue (JAB).
Smallholder editor on Farming Today programme Liz Wright, editor of Smallholder was on Radio 4 Farming Today programme this morning. Under the spotlight was regulation of smallholdings and animal health issues, not least those following the foot and mouth problems and blue tongue.
Nearly 170 farmers across the South West have already been trained and accredited to work with schools during the academic Year of Food and Farming, which draws to a close next July, and beyond.
