Animal Health & Welfare NI

12/11/2025

30/10/2025

Sporadic outbreaks of BVD continue to cause concern https://tinyurl.com/3zym7t7m

23/10/2025

Have you heard of the Bluetongue Disease Control Framework? The framework kicks in if (BTV-3) is detected in Northern Ireland
🔗Find out more about the steps DAERA would take at: https://tinyurl.com/mry2unct
Discover CAFRE Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute Ulster Farmers' Union AgriSearch Livestock & Meat Commission NI Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster Beef and Lamb NI

23/09/2025

Call for farmers in Northern Ireland to co-design new disease model
Cattle farmers in Northern Ireland are being asked to help co-design a new computer simulation model that could inform the eradication of BVD in Northern Ireland.
The model, which is being developed jointly by SRUC and University of Nottingham, aims to be the first to include farmers’ decision-making and preferences as a separate component in modelling national cattle disease control.
Input will be collected through a questionnaire which offers participating cattle keepers a range of scenarios, and asks what they would do next. Their answers will then be linked to models of pathogen spread to predict how quickly the disease might decline—or increase—based on different control circumstances.
Dr Sam Strain, chief executive of Animal Health & Welfare NI, says the infection model has the potential to be very helpful in informing the future development of the NI BVD Eradication Programme.
“While the programme has been incredibly successful in reducing the incidence of BVD across the province by more than two thirds, more remains to be done if eradication is to be achieved,” explains Dr Strain.
“The NI farming industry has been central in driving the programme—with its considerable success so far due in large part to the excellent engagement of farmers, and the NI agri-food industry’s support in funding and co-designing it.”
Dr Strain says one of the unique benefits of this new simulation model is gathering farmer perspectives on BVD control, and using this information to assess different future strategies for BVD control and ultimately its eradication.
“Given the wide range of BVD programmes across the UK and Ireland—each at a different stage and following a different strategy—farmer input is needed from each region to help develop the model such that it will inform each regional programme,” he says.
“I therefore want to strongly encourage NI farmers to participate in this survey.”
The questionnaire can be accessed at http://bit.ly/cattlediseasedecisions or via the QR code shown, and will be available until October. It should take around 15 minutes to complete. For a summary of the project and wider changes to BVD control programmes across UK and Ireland, visit www.bvdplatform.org. Once the model has been built, the intention is to adapt it for the control of other cattle diseases.
Contact Amy Jackson for more information on amy.jackson1@nottingham.ac.uk or 07917 773756

19/09/2025

🚜 Free upcoming workshop for Recently Qualified in Agriculture or Horticulture

📅 Tuesday 30th September, 7th & 14th October

📩 Register online now: forms.office.com/e/LT6r7K7t2T

👉🏻Questions
farmgenerations@ruralsupport.org.uk
02886 760040

18/09/2025

Animal Health and Welfare NI (AHWNI) has launched a new website as part of an industry campaign to provide information for farmers on bovine TB. https://tinyurl.com/39m4jahc

11/09/2025

Patterns of local BVD persistence https://tinyurl.com/47np8dub

10/09/2025

Call for farmers in Northern Ireland to co-design new disease model
Cattle farmers in Northern Ireland are being asked to help co-design a new computer simulation model that could inform the eradication of BVD in Northern Ireland.

The model, which is being developed jointly by SRUC and University of Nottingham, aims to be the first to include farmers’ decision-making and preferences as a separate component in modelling national cattle disease control.

Input will be collected through a questionnaire which offers participating cattle keepers a range of scenarios, and asks what they would do next. Their answers will then be linked to models of pathogen spread to predict how quickly the disease might decline—or increase—based on different control circumstances.

Dr Sam Strain, chief executive of Animal Health & Welfare NI, says the infection model has the potential to be very helpful in informing the future development of the NI BVD Eradication Programme.

“While the programme has been incredibly successful in reducing the incidence of BVD across the province by more than two thirds, more remains to be done if eradication is to be achieved,” explains Dr Strain.

“The NI farming industry has been central in driving the programme—with its considerable success so far due in large part to the excellent engagement of farmers, and the NI agri-food industry’s support in funding and co-designing it.”

Dr Strain says one of the unique benefits of this new simulation model is gathering farmer perspectives on BVD control, and using this information to assess different future strategies for BVD control and ultimately its eradication.

“Given the wide range of BVD programmes across the UK and Ireland—each at a different stage and following a different strategy—farmer input is needed from each region to help develop the model such that it will inform each regional programme,” he says.

“I therefore want to strongly encourage NI farmers to participate in this survey.”

The questionnaire can be accessed at http://bit.ly/cattlediseasedecisions or via the QR code shown, and will be available until October. It should take around 15 minutes to complete. For a summary of the project and wider changes to BVD control programmes across UK and Ireland, visit www.bvdplatform.org. Once the model has been built, the intention is to adapt it for the control of other cattle diseases.
Contact Amy Jackson for more information on amy.jackson1@nottingham.ac.uk or 07917 773756

12/08/2025

We Are Hiring!
AHWNI Sheep Health Manager
https://tinyurl.com/45xsb2mp