Tag Archives: sheep

Genetic control mechanism developed to deal with major livestock pest

Posted on June 21, 2014 by argylesock

Originally posted on AgScience:
Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a technique to control populations of the Australian sheep blowfly – a major livestock pest in Australia and New Zealand – by making female flies dependent on a…

Posted in agriculture, horticulture, knowledge transfer | Tagged America, antibiotic, antibiotic dependence, arboriculture, arthropod, Asia, Australian sheep blowfly, biotechnology, blowfly, dipteran, Drosophila melanogaster, fruit, fruitfly, genetic modification, insect, invertebrate, lab animal, livestock, mammal, New World screwworm, pest, pest control, plant_dicot, research, sheep, tetracycline, tree, vertebrate | Leave a comment

Cuts to red tape in British agriculture

Posted on January 7, 2014 by argylesock

Here’s a press release about ‘cuts to red tape’ in British agriculture. This arose, no doubt, from the Red Tape Challenge. Apparently these cuts will help to monitor and control livestock diseases while also saving money. Moving sheep (Ovis aries) … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture | Tagged bovine tuberculosis, cattle, disease, disease transmission, law, livestock, mammal, notifiable disease, ruminant, sheep, transport, tuberculosis, vertebrate | Leave a comment

Wild deer carrying drug-resistant parasites between cattle and sheep farms

Posted on September 6, 2013 by argylesock

Animal Bytes is published freely by the British Society for Animal Science (BSAS). It’s there to let farmers and vets know what scientists are doing with funding from BSAS. Animal Bytes provides ‘short and incisive updates on topical themes and … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, knowledge transfer | Tagged cattle, drug, drug resistance, evolution, fallow deer, farmer, knowledge, livestock, mammal, nematode, parasite, parasite transmission, red deer, research, roe deer, ruminant, sheep, sustainable, vertebrate, veterinary, wildlife | 4 Comments

Vaccination is happening against a virus which deforms lambs and calves

Posted on June 15, 2013 by argylesock

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is a Government agency here in Britain. It’s part of the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Among other tasks, VMD approves new veterinary drugs and vaccines. Farming eyes have been on VMD … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, knowledge transfer | Tagged arthropod, cattle, deer, deformity, dipteran, disease, emerging disease, goat, insect, livestock, mammal, midge, ruminant, Schmallenberg virus, sheep, vaccine, vector, vertebrate, veterinary, virus | 6 Comments

The great milk robbery

Posted on April 15, 2013 by argylesock

GRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation. GRAIN says that it ‘works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems.’ Here’s a report by GRAIN about the importance of milk to the … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food | Tagged buffalo, camel, cattle, development, farmer, food, goat, grocery, human, livestock, mammal, milk, nutrition, pastoral, poverty, ruminant, sheep, trade, vertebrate, yak | 5 Comments

New vaccine against foot and mouth disease

Posted on April 14, 2013 by argylesock

Here’s an article from Understanding Animal Research (UAR) about a new vaccine against foot and mouth disease (FMD). FMD is a highly infectious disease of cloven-hoofed animals, caused by the virus Aphthae epizooticae. It’s not to be confused with hand, … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture | Tagged cattle, disease, export, foot and mouth disease, hand foot and mouth disease, history, human, law, livestock, mammal, notifiable disease, pig, research, ruminant, sheep, trade, vaccine, vertebrate, virus | 5 Comments

Silence of the lambs

Posted on April 5, 2013 by argylesock

Originally posted on Digging in the Clay:
I apologise up front for the title of this post, but it aptly describes the impact of this snowy spring on Britain’s hill farms. The point of this post is to show the…

Posted in weather and climate | Tagged climate, farm, farmer, history, livestock, mammal, ruminant, sheep, snow, temperature, vertebrate, weather | Leave a comment

Coldest March for the UK since 1962

Posted on March 28, 2013 by argylesock

The Met Office says that this ‘March is set to be the coldest since 1962 in the UK in the national record dating back to 1910’. Looks like the Government’s outgoing Chief Scientific Advisor, Prof Sir John Beddington, was right … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, horticulture, weather and climate | Tagged allotment, Beddington_John, breeding, climate, farm, farmer, frost, garden, gardener, livestock, mammal, Met Office, plant_dicot, potato, sheep, snow, vegetable, vertebrate, weather | 3 Comments

Farming under snow in the British Isles

Posted on March 26, 2013 by argylesock

Here in the British Isles our land is covered by snow. Far more snow than we expect in March. This is a real problem if you have sheep or cattle, grazing and lambing or calving outside. Or if you’re dairying … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, weather and climate | Tagged farm, farmer, feed, livestock, mammal, ruminant, sheep, snow, vertebrate, weather, welfare | 1 Comment

Schmallenberg virus is killing lambs and calves but a vaccine is coming

Posted on March 25, 2013 by argylesock

Today my fellow blogger nahrvalur reminded me about Schmallenberg virus (SBV). That emerging disease which is carried by midges and which deforms lambs, kids, calves and fawns. I hadn’t forgotten SBV, with farmers in my family-in-law, but this year their … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, knowledge transfer | Tagged arthropod, breeding, cattle, data, deer, dipteran, disease, emerging disease, farmer, foot and mouth disease, history, insect, invertebrate, livestock, mammal, midge, research, ruminant, Schmallenberg virus, scrapie, sheep, vaccine, vector, vertebrate, veterinary, virus | 1 Comment