Newsletter No. 73 - Longhorn Cattle Society

Page 4 Longhorn Newsletter
Issue 73
CHECS ACCREDITED HEALTH SCHEMES
Have you ever considered registering your herd with a health scheme?
WHY IMPROVE YOUR HERD HEALTH STATUS?
Many herds in the UK have a good standard of health, having worked with their vets over a
number of years to control mastitis, lameness, fertility and production diseases. Further
improvements are happening with the introduction of Herd Health Plans to meet the
requirements of Farm Assurance Schemes. Beef and dairy herds have already achieved
freedom from many of the diseases subject to state control, such as Brucellosis and EBL.
Strict controls to keep out highly infectious diseases, like Foot & Mouth, are now widely
understood and practiced; but many herds still do not know their own particular health
status for BVD, IBR, Lepto and Johne's.
Many European countries have either eradicated, or have embarked upon national
control and eradication programmes for BVD, IBR, Lepto and Johne's disease.
If we do not keep pace with these improvements we will find ourselves, as individual herd
owners, unable to compete in the UK or with the rest of Europe. Herd health will
increasingly become a consumer-led issue, which could prevent milk or beef being sold
from non-compliant farms.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
DISEASE CONTROL
A greater public awareness of farming methods has resulted in ever mounting pressure to
reduce the use of antibiotics and other treatments in all herds, not just those which are
organic. This means that greatly improved methods of disease control are now very much
more necessary than in the past. Testing to the standards of CHeCS licensed Cattle Health
Scheme is the first step forward to achieving this.
FINANCIAL GAIN
Controlling the considerable problems caused by disease will show a very noticeable
reduction in annual losses. For example, it is known that in just 10 years, uncontrolled BVD
in a 100 cow herd can cost at least £45,000, and for Johne's Disease more than £20,000
HERD HEALTH PROTECTION
CHeCS licensed Cattle Health Schemes advise straight forward health measures,
specifically designed to protect the herd from re-infection. These are equally effective in
keeping out other infectious diseases such as Bovine TB, Digital dermatitis, and Strep. agalactiae
mastitis. CHeCS herd health planning is especially effective in protecting the overall
health, welfare and profitability of the herd.
RECOGNISED CERTIFICATION OF HERD HEALTH
Buying cattle only from herds that are known to be healthy is becoming ever more
important. In this respect, herds in CHeCS licensed Cattle Health Schemes are able to
provide an owner's declaration of health status. This gives buyers the confidence that they
are not buying in disease.
Testing cattle to the CHeCS recognised standard, results in a health certificate, which is a
trade-able asset of added value