Impact of Flock Health Clubs

Noble, Nicola; Occhiuto, Francesca; Lovatt, Fiona; Johnson, Marion; Jones, Wendy D.; Kaler, Jasmeet

doi:10.12968/live.2020.25.6.301

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…These knowledge transfer methods need to take into account points made earlier in this paper around who is sharing the knowledge, what kinds of knowledge and with whom. There needs to be consideration of not only advisor‐to‐farmer transfer and exchange, 22 but a recognition and consideration of peer‐to‐peer systems, such as farmer ‘field schools’ promoted by organisations such as the UN's FAO, flock and herd health clubs 23 and farmer mentoring schemes, for example, the ‘Farming Connect’ programme in Wales.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring farmers’ understanding of and responses to endemic animal health and welfare issues in the UK

et al. 2021

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Background This paper uses two endemic health conditions to explore farmer understandings of and responses to livestock health and welfare issues. Methods The findings are based on a survey of 42 livestock farmers in the north of England, exploring how they manage lameness in sheep and cattle and bovine viral diarrhoea in cattle. We identify similarities and differences in their approaches. Results Two themes emerge. (1) The importance of difference between animal types (i.e., beef cattle, dairy cattle and sheep), which highlights the ‘complex’ and ‘multifactorial’ nature of animal health and welfare. It is necessary to unpack this to understand the interplay of animal, resource and management issues in farmer responses. (2) Previous research has identified ‘lack of knowledge’ as a key welfare issue. Our findings reveal farmers are in fact seeking, acquiring and sharing knowledge on practices related to the management of animal health however individual circumstance and context influence how this translates in practice. Conclusion Our research highlights the importance of integrating different perspectives and knowledges as a way of understanding and responding to animal health and welfare concerns. Facilitating knowledge exchange both within and between different groups and sectors is vital in achieving this.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring farmers’ understanding of and responses to endemic animal health and welfare issues in the UK

et al. 2021

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“…The required in‐depth vet–farmer understanding cannot be achieved by an FHP being developed or reviewed in the cursory off‐farm manner, at times without any veterinary–farmer consultation, as described by many of the participants of this study. Veterinarians explained how these consultations brought into clear focus the specific, individual needs of the flock, permitting them to see livestock, their housing and other facilities in situ (Selle et al, 2014), as well as observation of the technical husbandry skills of the farmer (Hall et al, 2022), thus reinforcing the centrality of such interaction in the FH planning process (Bellet et al, 2015; Lovatt, 2004, 2015; Noble et al, 2020; Sibley, 2000; Walster, 2012). Thus, the on‐farm consultation should enhance the veterinarian's ability to assess both health and welfare, addressing the concerns that welfare may be overlooked (Hubbard et al, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This programme also brought small groups of sheep farmers and advisors together bi‐monthly and could act as a familiar model for developing small, problem‐specific, goal‐focused groups of farmers wishing to embark on FH planning with professional advisors in a more resource‐effective manner, as has proved effective in other agricultural settings (Clark et al, 2001; Vaarst et al, 2007). Such sheep‐specific discussion groups, focused around a veterinary practice, have proven beneficial in other regions (Noble et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flock health planning: How to move from a plan to a reflective planning process in Northern Irish sheep flocks?

Crawford,

Hamer,

Lovatt

et al. 2024

Annals of Applied Biology

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Flock health planning has been advocated as part of a wider drive within livestock production for veterinarians and farmers to adopt a prevention‐focused approach to veterinary medicine. This approach has, at its core, a cyclical process of assessment, evaluation, action and re‐assessment, and is documented, at least in summary, in a health plan (HP). The HP has become a defining pillar of farm quality assurance schemes (QASs), introduced to address calls for greater transparency and accountability in food production. There is limited current information on the attitudes and behaviours surrounding flock HPs in the sheep sector and the barriers to greater involvement in an active process of continual improvement through reflective flock health planning. This study aims to address these issues with reference to the national flock in Northern Ireland. A mixed‐methods approach was used to explore farmers' and veterinarians' opinions and behaviours related to QASs and HP, with data obtained through an online scoping questionnaire, semi‐structured interviews with 27 farmers and 15 veterinarians, and discussion groups with farmers and veterinarians. No evidence of a positive association between a farm having a HP and implementation of 12 industry‐recommended flock health activities was identified using the Fisher's exact test. Farmers reported a reluctance to pay for veterinary advice while some veterinarians reported a lack of time to develop HPs for farmers, and sheep‐related work generally. Farmers predominantly saw the HP as a static, physical document, which had limited impact on their management practices, rather than a proactive, reflective and collaborative planning process. Veterinarians tasked with completing HPs felt restricted by limited knowledge of on‐farm practices, flock production data and a lack of confidence in the accuracy of on‐farm medicine records. This led some to believe that the HPs may fail to address critical issues. A new approach to engage farmers and veterinarians together in active flock health planning needs to be developed. This will need a sustainable delivery plan. Then the focus can be shifted towards ongoing reflective health planning to drive change for the betterment of sheep health and welfare.

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Novel characterisation of sheep flocks in Wales: A description of principal flock typologies and antimicrobial use patterns

Best,

Vass,

Stanton

et al. 2024

Preventive Veterinary Medicine

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Impact of Flock Health Clubs

Cited by 4 publications

References 11 publications

Exploring farmers’ understanding of and responses to endemic animal health and welfare issues in the UK

Exploring farmers’ understanding of and responses to endemic animal health and welfare issues in the UK

Flock health planning: How to move from a plan to a reflective planning process in Northern Irish sheep flocks?

Novel characterisation of sheep flocks in Wales: A description of principal flock typologies and antimicrobial use patterns

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