Latest updates from Ruminant Health & Welfare

Welcome to RH&W’s latest newsletter

As the industry continues to focus on practical ways to improve ruminant health and welfare, especially with the challenge of the extremely warm weather in parts of the UK, our May RH&W steering group meeting provided a valuable opportunity to look at how data, collaboration and shared learning can drive progress.

Firstly, I would like to thank Hannah Lloyd of Pinstone for stepping in to chair that meeting as it took place on the day I was privileged to receive my British Empire Medal for services to farm animal health and welfare. The medal was presented by the Lord-Lieutenant of West Sussex Lady Emma Barnard and I feel very honoured to have received it.

Back to the steering group and a key focus was the value of abattoir data and how communication of inspection results can better support on-farm decision making. We heard from Frances Moreno and Mark Deakin at the Food Standards Agency, who shared insight into inspection data, including parasitic conditions recorded in cattle, sheep and goats. The discussion highlighted both the value of this information and the ongoing challenge of ensuring it reaches the right people, particularly producers and their vets.

Jane Downes also shared useful learning from the pig sector, where work has been done to improve confidence in post-mortem data, standardise reporting and strengthen the flow of information back to farm. While the ruminant sectors face different structures and challenges, there is clear potential to learn from this approach.

The meeting also included the launch of the Beef Welfare Strategy, which completes an important part of the wider welfare strategy work across dairy, sheep, calf and beef systems. The strategy sets out ambitions around positive health and welfare planning, thriving stock, housing and environment and skilled farmers.

However, as was rightly discussed, the launch is only the starting point. The next challenge is to turn the strategy into action, identify meaningful measures of progress and ensure the whole industry works together to support continued improvement.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the discussion, to our speakers for sharing their expertise and to members for their continued engagement. These meetings are, as always, a great way to bring different parts of the industry together to tackle shared challenges and this was a clear example of that in action.

Thank you to all speakers and contributors.

Gwyn Jones, RH&W Chair