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We are pleased to announce we raised an amazing £9300.00 for the Farm Safety Foundation – also known as Yellow Wellies, the charity works hard to raise awareness and address attitudes and behaviours to farm safety and poor mental health. Thank you for everyone’s generous donations.

Work is being carried out at the University of Liverpool, in conjunction with AHDB Dairy, to establish an effective protocol for disinfecting hoof knives during foot-trimming.

Past research identified digital dermatitis (DD) treponeme DNA on hoof knives after trimming feet affected by DD, suggesting that foot-trimming should be a control point for preventing transmission of the treponemes that cause DD.

Current studies in the laboratory have shown that DD-associated treponemes can survive on hoof knives for at least two hours, which means that they could be passed between cows if knives are not cleaned. Disinfection was most effective in the laboratory using 1:100 FAM30®, 2% Virkon® or 2% sodium hypochlorite. This work informed the development of the hygiene protocol presented here, which is designed for use during foot-trimming to prevent treponemes from being passed between feet. The protocol and further details are also available from AHDB Dairy at https://ahdb.org.uk/reducing-spread-of-DD.

The hygiene protocol is being trialled during foot-trimming to ensure it is effective under farm conditions. Farm trials so far have included 86 cows’ feet with a range of DD lesion M-types and non-healing claw horn lesions (also known to be infected with DD treponemes). In 24/86 cases, it was possible to culture treponemes from hoof-knives after foot-trimming, showing that live treponemes are present. This further suggests it may be possible to pass treponemes between cows if knives are not cleaned. Fortunately, all three disinfectants have so far proved effective during farm trials at removing all treponemes with a short contact time of only 20 seconds. Sampling is continuing to ensure testing of the protocol is robust.

Adoption of these disinfection techniques (https://ahdb.org.uk/reducing-spread-of-DD) should help to mitigate risk of transmitting DD during foot-trimming especially when used in conjunction with other DD management strategies such as regular foot-bathing and good housing hygiene which are also detailed in a resource from AHDB Dairy (https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/digital-dermatitis-the-three-pronged-approach).

The RNLI was honoured to receive the money raised by the UK Cattle Lameness Conference – thank you so much.

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea, we are separate from the Coast Guard and the independent from the Government, we rely on charitable donations to be able to continue the good work we do – Saving Lives at Sea. 

The Vision of the RNLI is to end the preventable loss of life and sea and we do this through our volunteers and staff, who all strive for excellence and to be courageous, selfless and dependable. Through their hard work, and your donations, we have saved thousands of lives, last year we aided 41,619 people and saved 329 lives. 

Sadly, 320,000 people, around the world, drown every year, but through our Prevention work we raising awareness, creating safer places and encouraging safer behaviour, through education. 

The RNLI provides 24-hour search and rescue services around the UK and Ireland up to 100 nautical miles offshore, and rely on people such as NACFT member, Francis Burns, to come out and help. WE have been busier this year as we also have 4 specially trained flood rescue teams that go out around the UK. 

The NACFT donation will go a long way to help fund vital equipment to keep the staff and volunteers doing the best they can to Saving Lives at Sea. 

From what was started as a “side line “is now a major supplier of hoof care equipment to the UK. 

Humble beginings from a chance meeting at a show in Holland between Ed Malt and Jan Wopereis, which not only became a life long friendship but also a trading partnership which has now progressed to the next generation. 

1980 saw Jan, and his expert hoof trimmer Hank Stamp, come to the UK to do two demonstrations at Peter Padfield’s farm in Essex, and Ed’s own farm in Norfolk. These first demonstrations proved to be very successful not only for Ed to start the business of selling Wopa crushes, but to enlighten the farmers and their staff of the importance of hoof care. This saw the start the welfare of cattle hooves. 

Ed could identify the need for good hoof care through his own dairy herd, and so he became qualified in the Dutch method. His foresight saw him convince the Ministry of Agriculture (not an easy task!) that hoof trimming and hoof welfare should have official training courses, and so the Agricultural Training Board setup courses around the country with Ed as the first qualified trainer to do these. 

The next step saw the advance of hoof trimming contractors. Some of them actually went to Utrecht College for their training and qualification, others gained theirs here in the UK. The Five Step method came about, and that saw a standard for the industry to follow. With the growing numbers of contractors Ed felt that they needed to have an organisation to provide a uniform service and help the future development of cattle hoof welfare, and so with this suggestion to Tony Richardson and Harry Relph (both professional hoof trimmers) the NACFT was born. 

The Wopa crush has come a long way since 1980 and the SA18 farmers model that came over. This progressed to todays SA26. Then to the SA35 which was originally advertised as the contractors model!, to the recent SA49, and the contractors models of today now the SA51, and the latest SA61 which can be on wheels or tracks. From hand winching to electric motors and hydraulics, to remote controls. From on the ground to those with lift systems. From static to mobile on wheels or tracks. The future continues to progress through research and development. 

Ed and Jan have left not only us, but contractors and farmers alike, an amazing legacy of which we are justly proud. 

Recently I was invited to speak about lameness and welfare at the “International Hoof Health and Welfare Conference” in Spain. Twenty-six countries were present, from Canada to Japan, and it made me realise how the UK are world leading in this area. Indeed, we have been for some time and must be proud of it. Where to start?

The 5 Freedoms were developed from a 1965 UK Government report into the welfare of farm animals. Their wording has truly stood the test of time and, whilst they don’t encompass every aspect of welfare, they are a good start and still underpin our animal welfare laws today. Assurance schemes such as Red Tractor, and further some of the aligned contracts, continue to build on them.

They are all measurable and some are strikingly relevant to lameness. First, “Freedom from pain, injury or disease, by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment”; we have repeatedly discussed these exact words in recent years in reference to lameness. Second, “Freedom from discomfort, by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area”; with cow comfort and lying times being key in the sole ulcer disease process, this is clearly directly applicable to lameness. Third, “Freedom from fear and distress, by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering”. Without getting too technical, pain is inextricably linked with emotions, and persisting pain leads rapidly to mental suffering; having good mobility helps satisfy this freedom, too.

Agriculture is under ever-increasing scrutiny in the public eye. Misinformation and bad press are rife, often presenting obstacles and inconveniences. Yet, focusses on animal welfare also provide opportunities for us as animal health care professionals. If welfare requirements continue to improve, whether through legislation or public pressure, opportunities for well-trained and up-to-date professionals will keep opening. So be proud of the industry we work in, the healthy food that we help produce and the welfare of animals that we can ensure. And consider how we may guide the narrative on animal welfare, illustrating the great work that is being done.