Using a sourcing and animal health protocol to reduce health and welfare issues on a bull beef fattening unit in Ireland
Mixing young bulls prior to final feeding can prove to be very challenging particularly in terms of animal health and disease outbreaks such as pneumonia and other viruses. A bull beef fattening unit in Ireland uses a clear sourcing and animal health programme to reduce health and welfare issues in the fattening of young bulls. The farmer sources the bull weanlings (usually 7 to 13 months of age) from a suckler farmer and makes an arrangement for the animals to remain on the farm of origin for a period of a further 3 weeks. The finisher farmer along with the suckler farmer treats the animals with the first course of vaccinations (usually treatments for IBR, RSV and PI3). This reduces any transport stress on the bulls at this important time when they are getting their first vaccination treatments. After 3 weeks, the animals are transported to the finishing unit, where they are weighed, at this point they will receive their second vaccination and any other necessary animal health treatments, comrade animals stay together, which is important to reduce stress. The benefits of this good practice reduces animal health issues.A challenge can be to locate suitable suckler farmers to partner within the programme. A key take home message is that the protocol is a low cost, simple and practical animal health and welfare programme that is very effective especially on young bull finishing farms. Farmer comment: “We can significantly reduce stress and disease on our purchased-in weanlings by operating a programme of vaccination on the farm of origin 3 weeks before they arrive on our finishing unit,” Kieran Dooley Beef farmer, Co.Offaly, Ireland.
BovINE - Beef Innovation Network Europe
Ongoing | 2020-2022
- Main funding source
- Horizon 2020 (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- Ireland