Youngstock health: a focus on Mycoplasma bovis, nematode control and the use of NSAIDS in scour

Abstract

Foreword Farming is under increasing scrutiny on environmental issues (including greenhouse gas emissions, resource use, water and air quality, biodiversity and other impacts), in addition to increasing economic and social pressures. It is increasingly clear that we need to ensure that every animal has a good healthy life, while reducing losses throughout the production system. As cattle vets, we work with cattle at every stage of the production cycle, but on many dairy farms, youngstock are still seen as being of secondary importance compared with the mature herd, suffering significant levels of disease, and sustaining high mortality. This is despite the fact that dairy replacements are, or should be, the group with the highest genetic merit on the farm and are the future of the herd. In contrast to the dairy herd, calves from the suckler herd are the only saleable product of the cow and thus her whole production for the year is lost if the calf should die. Despite this, more could still be done on many farms to improve health and productivity of these calves allowing them to be finished faster with associated environmental benefits. For environmental, economic and social reasons, it is no longer acceptable to cull dairy bull calves, or to ignore high levels of morbidity or mortality. An animal that has a suboptimal growth rate or dies represents a financial loss to the farmer, a welfare concern to the consumer, and an environmental impact that is not compensated for by food (milk or meat) production. If we are to serve our clients to the best of our ability and help make their businesses as sustainable as possible, we need a greater focus on youngstock. This supplement is a good place to start with its focus on Mycoplasma bovis, nematode control and the use of NSAIDs in calf scour.