North Park Veterinary Farm

29/05/2025

From today farmers can apply for grants worth up to £25,000 each to invest in machinery that boosts farm productivity.

Applications for the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) opened on 29 May and will close in 6 weeks at midday on 10 July. Grants are available for boosting productivity, managing slurry or improving animal health and welfare.

DEFRA say: "From seed-planting robots that reduce labour costs, to slurry separator systems that bring down reliance on expensive fertilisers, this new round of the popular FETF will make £46.7m available to boost profitability by helping farmers cut costs while increasing efficiency."

Updates from Defra's Farming and Countryside Programme

24/04/2025

The next meeting for the smallholders club is fast approaching! Are you booked in?

10/03/2025

Tick borne disease has become a real problem for many of our clients in the practice, far and wide, over the past 5 years in particular. Can YOU 🫵 help with valuable research into this, and not only improve the situation on your farm, but many others as well?

15/02/2025

🚨🚨 BLUETONGUE - following our timely client meeting this week, further cases as close as East Devon have been found through routine surveillance. The restriction zone is now as close as Honiton 🚨🚨

We are currently in the low vector period, where midge activity is low and Bluetongue virus replication cannot happen due to colder temperatures, HOWEVER, Bluetongue will overwinter and start circulating once temperatures warm up. It is crucial to get ahead of this and start vaccinating. The vaccine has been authorised under general licence in England by the Chief Veterinary Officer, but this licence requires additional paperwork by vets and farmers once dispensed and injected, the details of which we have shared with all our farming clients.

This strain, BTV3, is not the same as BTV8 back in 2008. It is much more virulent. Experiences in the Netherlands and Germany where this started are 30% of sheep infected with 70% mortality. Significant production losses (milk and growth rates), fertility issues, including still births and deformities in cattle. More information can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/bluetongue-information-and-guidance-for-livestock-keepers and here https://ruminanthw.org.uk/bluetongue-virus/

Contact us to discuss your specific needs such as vaccine timings depending on when you are lambing, calving etc.

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11/02/2025

🚨🚨🚨 Bluetongue is overwintering in the East of the country and will be emerging from it’s slumber shortly, with forecasts suspecting it will be within the practice area from late spring/early summer 🚨🚨🚨

Come and join us to learn about the current situation, why this summer will likely be different to the last couple of years in the SW, how this could affect you, and the measures we need to take NOW to protect your herd and flock. Waiting until it has arrived in the practice will be too late unfortunately.

The current strain (BTV-3) has a reported mortality of 70% in sheep that contract the disease, so we really are concerned about the impact this disease could have this year - please come and learn more!!

Booking essential if you want your pie!

14/01/2025

Once you’ve got those ewes in lamb, are you prepared to get them out and give the ewes and lambs the best possible start? Join us for our annual lambing course for a mixture of talks and practicals

03/01/2025

After getting cows in calf, you may be required to help get them out again!

20/12/2024

Email bookings can be made to [email protected].

18/12/2024

Loving these new pen-side liver fluke antibody test kits for cattle and sheep. Absolute diagnostic game changer. Rapid, affordable, easy. What’s not to love?!

Liver fluke antibodies can be detected from 3 weeks post infection. This is the earliest method of detection we have available. Liver fluke antibodies can persist for a long time, so for this test we recommend only testing first-year grazing cattle or sheep (adults could have high antibodies from prior exposure, yet currently have no liver fluke present). Prior to this new lateral flow test, samples had to be processed at external laboratories, increasing turnaround time and cost. This test provides results in 10 minutes and can even be undertaken by farmers themselves, as only a prick of blood is required, which can be taken from the nose or ear with a lancet supplied with the test kit.

Alternative tests for liver fluke are antigen testing faecal samples, or egg counting faecal samples. These tests can be used on adult animals, but will not detect infection until 7-12 weeks after initial infection.

The choice of test will be dictated by several factors - speak to your vet to determine the best method for you and your stock. This will almost certainly change depending on the time of year. The number of animals required for testing will also vary, depending upon the number of management groups on the farm and the total number of animals present.

This beef suckler farm tested negative: no liver fluke “treatment” is required, saving the client time and money, whilst being responsible with the use of flukicide products.
Take home = test and only treat when necessary.

13/12/2024

Small holders talk next week - don’t forget to sign up and book your mince pie! 🎅🎄🐑🐷🐐🐮❄️

13/12/2024

Our last Smallholder meeting of 2024, please contact us to book, email [email protected]

28/11/2024

Time for a bit of fun and mental agility whilst tucking into some mince pies. A chance to win some good prizes, whilst supporting the outstanding