News
Farmers to take vet advice over calf syndrome
06/05/2010 12:39:00
NFU Scotland is suggesting livestock farmers contact their local vets about the small, but growing number, of Scottish calves thought to have died from a new condition known as Bleeding Calf Syndrome.
Andy Cant from Northvet confirmed that there had been two cases of the condition in Orkney, with a further three possible cases. He said: "It usually occurs in calves less than a month old, sometimes as a result of injections or tagging, and it is mostly fatal although there have been some instances where it has been treated successfully.
"Because it's new, we're keen to get to the bottom of it. We don't know at the moment what the causes of the condition are so it's important for farmers to get in touch if they have any suspected cases so we can gather information on common factors associated with the condition."
Although under review, NFUS is reminding farmers and vets that SAC currently provides a free post mortem service for those calves thought to have the condition and urges producers to discuss any unexplained calf deaths with the experts. Since April 2009, SAC has carried out post-mortems on a number Scottish calves, from both beef and dairy herds, that have suffered from the syndrome, known formally as Bovine Neonatal Pancytopenia (BNP). Last year, SAC confirmed 48 cases of BNP on 35 farms in Scotland. So far in 2010, there have been fewer than 30 new Scottish cases confirmed but fresh cases are under test.