By Amey Brassington, Animal Health and Welfare Scientist at AHDB A research project to develop best practice for managing replacement ewes and understand the impact of the rearing phase on a ewe’s lifetime performance, has now reached its third year. The AHDB Beef & Lamb-funded project, Challenge Sheep, is set to take seven years in total, with 11 farmers committed to recording data for the duration of the project. Covering both sheep bred as ewe lambs, and as shearlings, the project is tracking 7,000 replacements from a range of English sheep farms up and down the country who are ..read more

From Will Jackson, Beef & Lamb Sector Strategy Director The current situation with the spread of COVID_ 19 around the globe and the measures in place to slow its spread are unprecedented. They have filtered into every aspect of our lives. At AHDB, we are adapting the way we work and listening to what producers and processors need to ensure we channel resources to where they are most needed. We are, quite obviously, unable to run events at the moment so all have been postponed until at least June 30. However, as many as possible we are trying to take online and offer as webinars ..read more

From Will Jackson, Beef & Lamb Sector Strategy Director As an industry we’ve been bombarded with negative messaging recently regarding the sustainability of livestock. Yes, I do believe that globally the industry needs to make changes, but in the UK we have some of the most climate-friendly and sustainable methods in the world.  The picture that’s being painted doesn’t give credit to the work our farmers have put in to enhancing their landscapes.  What are the facts? To start with let’s get the figures correct – the latest Committee on Climate Change figures show that UK agricult ..read more

Edward Dean, AHDB Strategic Farmer based in CumbriaCumbrian farmer Edward Dean and his son Ollie joined the Strategic Farm network in 2017, the year the initiative was launched for beef and lamb farmers. Their aim was to improve the overall efficiency of the farm business. Showing their innovative thinking, Edward has recently been praised on his addition of a new portable mast on his farm, which transfers valuable performance-monitoring data from his Limousin herd in the field back to the farm’s computer using a cloud storage facility. Kirkhouse Farm is a 154ha farm in Cumbria with a floc ..read more

The recent report produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on the impacts of global warming has reignited the crusade against eating meat, specifically on this occasion, beef. However, the real messaging of the report appears to have been twisted to suit the needs of headline writers and single-issue campaigners. From Parliament to dinnertime chat at home, the perceived impact of livestock farming on the environment is the hot topic. The BBC’s interpretation of the report on August 6 fed the fire of anti-meat rhetoric, suggesting the report should lead viewers to que ..read more

This month Neil Pickard, AHDB knowledge exchange manager, talks about the new 60 minute farm review and how you can review your business in six easy steps. It’s hard to put in the time to think about your business performance when you’re busy actually doing the work. And what would be the benefits of doing so anyway, you know what you’re doing. But do you actually have a clear picture of what your major costs are and how your herd or flock are performing? Will there really be a benefit from buying that extra piece of machinery or are you keeping the right amount of livestock to make maximum ..read more

Kate Bamford is researching the role of chronic mastitis in sheep at the University of Warwick. Her PhD, funded by AHDB Beef & Lamb, will complete in Autumn 2020. Here she writes a guest blog about how you can prevent and treat mastitis in your flock. The sun is shining, the daffodils are out and the lambs are filling up the field. What could be more troublesome than finding a hungry and sad lamb? Mastitis in suckler sheep is often seen in the first two weeks of lactation, and then just before or after weaning. However, it’s possible at any time, so it’s important to be able to spot the ..read more