Livestock deaths on UK farms

[Sandpit Farm]

TB is awful and is terribly traumatic for farmers who are affected by it but lets put it in perspective, more animals are culled for other reasons other than TB - and these are not compensated for.

Perhaps TB is alarming because it seems like we have no effective way of controlling it and the Government are pumping millions into eradicating it, to no real avail. All of this funding is at the expense of funding for other diseases like BVD, Johne's or even lameness - where the industry must support itself.

I am afraid I don't buy the OPs post. The information is available from AHDB but I am sure somebody ringing up specifically to ask about livestock deaths, calf death at calving would ring alarm bells.

The fact is, sometimes animals do die and they certainly get ill but it is how this is dealt with on farm that is important. Farmers have a massive responsibility. We have the ability to humanely euthanize animals when welfare is being compromised and this is one of the single most significant benefits to welfare that can be provided on livestock farms. Sounds odd... kill something to improve welfare. The fact is that no farmers (none that I have met anyway) are happy with doing this. An activist may suggest this is down to economics and there is a bit of that to be fair BUT it is more than that - there is a personal point, one that points the finger at oneself and scutinises whether you could have done more. This is why many farmers would not be comfortable answering questions about how many animals die or are euthanized on farm. Believe me, it will be a minority of farm populations otherwise the economics simply wouldn't stack up. As humans we know if our own welfare is being severely compromised and we can't even choose to be euthanized... and they think livestock farmers are barbaric!

 

[Homesy]

This guy will tell you, first minute 15 seconds.

 

[ollie989898]

Fudge this, this thread needs my Alarm meme all over it in big letters....

Too much antagonistic sentiment in the wind, trolling forums does not constitute research.

 

[ollie989898]

Ok : causes of death - sheep/lambs; infections/complications at and immediately during lambing, including abortion storms. Metabolic and nutritional issues, such as twin lamb disease and staggers. Worms and liver fluke. Mastitis. Fly strike. Johnes. Predation and sheep worrying. Poisoning from plants. Random sheep things, such as head trapped in feeder, lying on lambs, drowning. Weather related e.g. heat stress, blizzards, flooding.

Cattle - pneumonia and scours especially in calves. Abortions caused by a range of organisms such as neospora, BVD. IBR, BVD, Johnes. Toxic mastitis. Metabolic disorders such as ketosis, milk fever, staggers. Injuries - usually from difficult calving or slipping on concrete (often when on heat), leading to being put down on farm. Random cow things, as above with sheep, but not as often as random sheep things!!! Some organisms e.g. E coli can cause death by different means, in both cattle and sheep (eg mastitis, flesh infection, secondary pneumonia, watery mouth), as can the Clostridial bacteria.

Once dead, should be placed at agreed collection point, collected by licensed deadstock collector and removed asap, usually within 24 hours. Only in extreme conditions can they be buried. Meat does not enter the food chain (many of these animals will have been treated with medication and in addition only meat from healthy animals can enter the food chain). Farmer issued with appropriate paperwork and has to complete records to update livestock registers (and for cattle, surrender the passport). Haven't really covered pigs and poultry. Many of those establishments would have an approved incinerator for disposing of carcasses.

Post mortems are not routinely carried out. Farmer can request / pay for vet or fallen stock collector to undertake. Some farmers are trained to do a rudimentary physical PM themselves. In a few instances eg sudden deaths in cattle, abortion storms, authorities should be informed in case of notifiable diseases (anthrax, brucellosis).

Many 'knackermen' (fallen stock collectors) although running independent businesses, are members of the National Fallen Stock Collection Scheme, as are many farmers. Farmer contacts their own knackerman, but invoicing and payment is administered via NFSCo which dds the farmer and guarantees payment to knackerman.

Few, if any, cattle die as a direct result of TB infection as rigorous monitoring picks up evidence of infection before they show clinical signs. Most of these (many) animals compulsorily slaughtered will end up in the food chain unless a) they have received some medication e.g. wormer and are still under withdrawal timescales or b) they show TB lesions in more than one part of the carcass or c) they are shot on farm for welfare reasons and even if otherwise healthy (eg a heavily pregnant cow) and cannot then be taken to an abattoir within the required 1 hour timescale to be considered for human consumption.

That is an excellent and detailed post but in the circumstances I honestly do fear you are mental for posting it.

These people aren't interested in rational argument i'm afraid. They condemn on a whim according to whichever agenda they subscribe to: reason does not come into it.

This thread is even more suspect than the re-wilding one. No name posted, no academic or institution email, no particulars or other details specified.

I'm a bit thick I know but if i smell smoke and see smoke I normally assume fire.

 

[pipkins]

Has nobody noticed it's the uni summer holidays- I don't recall having any modules or assignments that ran from year 1 into year 2. I did my dissertation research over the summer of my thesis year but had to have dispensation for that, even, and only got it as the insect I was interested in was most active in August.

Sorry to the original poster if you are genuine but your timing seems all to pot to me.

 

[Princess Pooper]

Has nobody noticed it's the uni summer holidays- I don't recall having any modules or assignments that ran from year 1 into year 2. I did my dissertation research over the summer of my thesis year but had to have dispensation for that, even, and only got it as the insect I was interested in was most active in August.

Sorry to the original poster if you are genuine but your timing seems all to pot to me.

We had several assignments that ran over the summer holidays.

 

[Werzle]

Anti farmer , vegan news/threats get too much air time on this forum. I wish members would stop posting the headline grabbing bull s##t stories all the time. Give us a break from it all please.

 

[@dlm]

Agree with most that this seems dodgy. But can honestly say I do have high losses of lambs, as I dare to allow them to give birth unaided in their natural environment to allow them to do as nature meant, sadly ravens would kill a ridiculous high % of twin births, and then having to put down ewes that were blinded by them taking eyes of ewes giving birth on humanitariun grounds. Thinking next year I may have to be cruel and go against nature by bringing them inside to avoid them being maimed or killed? Is that cruel going against nature?

 

[ollie989898]

 

[Al R]

Agree with most that this seems dodgy. But can honestly say I do have high losses of lambs, as I dare to allow them to give birth unaided in their natural environment to allow them to do as nature meant, sadly ravens would kill a ridiculous high % of twin births, and then having to put down ewes that were blinded by them taking eyes of ewes giving birth on humanitariun grounds. Thinking next year I may have to be cruel and go against nature by bringing them inside to avoid them being maimed or killed? Is that cruel going against nature?

Or go bigger so that there’s 50-100 afterbirth a day on the ground for the ravens to go for. First few and last few are my problems with them, peak of lambing very rare, seeing 4 GBBG fighting 100ft in the air over triplet afterbirth is some sight

 

[Al R]

I bet this is the meme these anti everything group use...

 

[gone up the hill]

Ok I will try to explain myself. There was a post with an opinion that badgers were the biggest threat to uk farming, and another post that climate change was the biggest threat. My post was supposed to express my opinion that politics was the biggest threat to uk farming. Badgers have taken up a lot of media and political time. Although yes they cause problems in affected areas I dont believe any one of you on here really believe they are the BIGGEST threat to your livelihood? Ok my sentence of " I'd say 95 percent etc.." has angered those of you with badger problems, but it started with the words "I'd say" and I said it. I didnt say "I have irrefutable proof that 95 per cent etc....". Yes it was probably widely exaggerated to stress a point. My point was that Joe public through the media and politics believe badgers to be THE major threat to UK farming. Just as Joe public believe that eating less meat will save the planet. The bad PR that farming is getting is the biggest threat to the industry. Sorry that some of you only read the word badger.....Hell if you treat one who is totally in support of farming like this, how do you expect public support?