How to help keep your livestock free from infectious diseases

Catriona Benson says there are many ways to help protect your animals

- Catriona Benson

Morning rounds on the smallholding - it's time to check that all the livestock are fit and healthy. But if your social media feed looks anything like mine, it's a constant stream of news about bird flu, bluetongue outbreaks, alongside smallholders battling foot rot, pneumonia, and countless infections. Sometimes, it feels like disease is lurking in the shadows, just waiting to strike your livestock.

The good news is that, when it comes to infectious disease, there is a lot you can do to protect your animals. With a little understanding about how diseases are spread, we are able to put measures in place which significantly reduce the chances of new infections arriving on our smallholding.

WHERE DOES DISEASE COME FROM? KNOW YOUR ENEMY!

By definition, infectious diseases are caused by pathogens (usually bacteria, viruses or fungi) that must pass from one infected animal to another - either directly, or indirectly. If we can prevent the arrival of the pathogen, we prevent the disease. So let's take a look at how various infectious agents can gain access to your smallholding: