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Farmers urged to report cattle abortions and stillbirths
Investigating cattle abortions and stillbirths can improve herd planning and disease control.
RH&W has issued resources to make reporting easier.

Ruminant Health & Welfare (RH&W) has called for livestock farmers to report all abortions and stillbirths this block calving season.

The group says that accurate reporting and investigation is vital to help veterinary teams understand disease status and identify how to protect herds in future.

To support the thorough investigation of all abortions and stillbirths, farmers are being asked to send abortion tissues and blood samples for testing. This will assist both farmers and veterinary teams with herd planning, as well as identifying what was causing abortions.

This health planning includes assessing the status of infectious diseases and identifying the risk of zoonotic disease on the farm.

The current strain of bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3), as well as Schmallenberg, means that thorough investigation is particularly important. Both of these notifiable diseases can cause late term abortion, stillbirth or deformities in calves.

Investigating the causes of abortions will also enable the effective monitoring of prevalent zoonotic diseases, such as Q fever and Salmonella Dublin. Through regular testing, scientists will be able to assess whether they are active on-farm or passive on-farm.

Submitting abortion cases will also uncover the status of brucellosis, increasing confidence that the UK is free of brucella.

To reduce the barriers for farmers submitting abortion and stillbirth cases, RH&W has produced a flyer and an online hub. The resources have been created in consultation with the Animal and Plant Health Agency, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and Animal Health NI.

The flyer should be printed off and fixed onto farm notice boards and saved on the phones of members of the farming team.

RH&W is encouraging workers, farmers and veterinary teams to stay informed of disease risks on farms in order to better manage the risk of people coming into contact with diseased herds.

Colin Mason, a veterinary investigation officer and centre manager at SRUC’s disease surveillance centre, said: “Ultimately, the more you can find out about your animals by investigating these unexplained abortion losses, the better for your farm, your animals and the industry.”

Information about cattle abortions and stillbirths can be found here.

Image © Shutterstock

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
UK's BSE risk status downgraded

The WOAH has downgraded the UK's international risk status for BSE to 'negligible'.

Defra says that the UK's improved risk status recognises the reputation for having the highest standards for biosecurity. It adds that it demonstrates decades of rigorous animal control.

Outbreaks of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease, have previously resulted in bans on Britain's beef exports.

The UK's new status could lead to expanded trade and better confidence in British beef.

Christine Middlemiss, the UK's chief veterinary officer, said: "WOAH's recognition of the UK as negligible risk for BSE is a significant milestone and is a testament to the UK's strong biosecurity measures and the hard work and vigilance of farmers and livestock keepers across the country who have all played their part in managing the spread of this disease.