Developing practical solutions for sustainable agriculture Ruth Clements FAI Farms Ltd
Lameness Reduction Program At FAI we operate a range of fully integrated, commercially viable and animal welfare focused production systems. Animal welfare and more sustainable farming is at the heart of everything we do. To find out more about our work go to www.faifarms.co.uk Values Lead Evidenced based science, research & technology Ruth Clements, FAI Farms supported by Intervet Schering Plough & FAI
The 3Es environment AND (not or) Available resources Land(while supporting ecosystems), water, soil, agro-technologies, energy ethics AND (not or) economics Acceptable production methods Worker welfare, animal welfare, producer income security, species loss Affordable food Cost competitive raw materials, rural development, fair trade, food poverty
Population
Population I ve never seen a problem that wouldn t be easier to solve with fewer people, or harder, and ultimately impossible, with more. Sir David Attenborough I = P x A x T The IMPACT of a population is the multiplicand of its numbers (P), its affluence (A) and its technology (T)
FAWC Opinion The Farm animal welfare council put forward an opinion on sheep lameness last year: Recommend that prevalence of lameness in sheep should be reduced to 5% or less by 2016 Recommend that this should be reduced to 2% by 2021 Recommend the government should work with the industry to develop a national strategy to reduce lameness
Sheep Lameness Reduction Programme Idea came from a combination of FAI s work on lameness in sheep and a practical solution developed by an independent farmer. While a huge amount of scientific work has been done in this area we still have huge numbers of lame sheep, and it costs farmers time and money. This is a visible, painful and costly problem.
Cost of treating lameness Treated Cases Costs for treated cases 2009 Number of Total per animals per case flock Ewes Scald 53 6.84 363 Footrot 114 8.38 955 Lambs Scald 251 6.84 1,717 Footrot 43 7.66 330 461 Lameness could cost 10-15 per ewe put to the tup. With 8% that s 15,000 for a 1000 ewe flock. Total Cost 3,365
Causes of lameness in sheep
Causes of lameness in sheep
Causes of lameness in sheep
Footrot and Scald in sheep Lameness levels can easily reach 20% on farms, and many producers have a significant level of lameness at certain times of year. >90% of lameness is due to Footrot and Scald both of which are cause by Dichelobacter Nodosus. It is spread via the ground and thrives in warm damp conditions. Immunity to the disease is at best short lived so sheep remain susceptible.
Tackling complex disease issues The cascade of interventions: MANAGEMENT Respiratory disease, nutritional disorders, watery mouth PREVENTION BIOSECURITY Sheep scab, FMD MANAGING HEALTH VACCINATION Clostridial disease, enzootic abortion STRATEGIC TREATMENT Liver fluke, PGE THERAPEUTICS EMERGENCY TREATMENT Mastitis
The 5 Point Plan
Farm with average lameness Outcome Resilience Challenge Margin of error No disease Disease increase Farm using the 5 Point Plan increase Immunity Resilience Challenge Margin of error Outcome No disease Disease
5 Point Plan CULL Cull persistent offenders Ewes with more than one bout of footrot in season two strikes and your out Use of cull tags or EID to ensure completion Year one FAI culled an additional 36 ewes for footrot alone (an additional 4%) Year two FAI culled an additional 2 ewes
CULL Repeat offenders are a source of infection for other ewes Repeat offenders are a source of infection for lambs Multiple bouts of footrot bouts lead to problem feet Aiming for resilience in a flock
5 Point Plan Quarantine Incoming animals to prevent introduction and to allow them to adjust to new challenges Include outwintered grazed animals Remember these are transmisable bacterial diseases, some animals can carry disease Develop a set quarantine plan to be completed. Decide what treatments are required and for how long animals are kept separate. Consider source of replacement animals
Tackling Lameness Treat Early recognition of clinical cases, a slightly lame sheep usually becomes a very lame sheep Daily catch and treat Use of LA antibiotics at correct dose. Consider the drug used. Footbathing can be useful in the early stage to get on top of outbreaks. Remember it is ONLY useful when carried out well.
Tackling Lameness Avoid Propagation of infection at gathering and handling Prevent spread Upgrade handling systems floor surface, lime Use of mobile handling systems Use lime around troughs and gateways Graze fields one at a time Clean equipment hoof trimmers etc
Vaccinate 5 Point Plan All ewes and rams to stimulate immunity Biannual programme to begin with, possible reduction to annual once levels are under control Time vaccination to co-ordinate with high risk times Expect vaccine reactions due to adjuvant Vaccinate behind the ear the reduce impact of reactions and prevent clipper problems Understand the limitations
Using Combined methods Needs a committed long term approach Needs a thorough understanding of the importance of each element Needs attention to detail Has enormous potential to improve welfare and improve production efficiency
Both treatment regimes significantly reduced the prevalence of footrot. However, the inclusion of footrot vaccination significantly improved recovery rates and reduced new infection rates for footrot compared with antibiotics alone.
Ongoing Work Four year data collection programme completed Sharing knowledge with proactive producers Proving that low levels of lameness are achievable Farmers weekly Stamp Out Lameness campaign year 2 Encouraging supply chains to implement and measure progress
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