New Dairy Calf Management Guidelines booklet published to provide ‘best practice’ advice

All Dairy

The commitment of Irish farmers to the animals in their care and our outdoor grass-based milk production system ensures that the health and welfare of animals in Irish dairy herds sets a leading standard internationally.

To ensure that this leadership position is maintained, our veterinary and technical advisory teams have drawn up a new publication ‘Dairy Calf Management Guidelines’.

Good calf management is part and parcel of good dairy farming practice, planning and economics. The first 12 weeks in a calf’s life are crucial to the future production potential as well as the length of the animal’s productive life.

The proper management of newborn and young calves is also an essential part of Glanbia Ireland’s standards for our producers.

The best practice guidelines are designed to assist suppliers in achieving the highest standards of animal husbandry. The calf management guidelines should be read in conjunction with our Milk Purchasing Policy which sets out the high standards that suppliers must follow. Further advice and guidance is available from key advisory bodies such as Teagasc and Animal Health Ireland.

Half of calf mortality due to illness within the first year occurs during the first six weeks of life and high mortality rates not only reduce farm profitability but are also an indicator of substandard calf welfare.

 

How to assess your calves’ welfare?

1. Animal based parameters: These include measures of the animal’s reactions or responses to the calf rearing system, such as bodyweight for age, average daily live-weight gain, mortality figures, veterinary interventions, disease treatments and injuries.

2. Environmental parameters: These are specifications around husbandry practices such as navel dipping, disbudding and castration, and calf housing requirements such as space allowance per calf, bedding material and shed ventilation as well as milk and solid feed allowance and water access.

The wide-ranging booklet includes guidance on areas such as care of the newborn calf, colostrum, vaccination protocols, disease risks, disbudding, castration, calf housing, future breeding options and the Twenty20 Beef Club.

A copy is available from Glanbia Ireland branches or the advisory team.

First Published 25 November 2019

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