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Impact of Flock Health Clubs
Abstract
Sheep farming is an important part of UK agriculture with significantly more breeding females than either the pig or cattle sectors. Whether grazing alongside arable rotations or utilising the marginal uplands, sheep farms arguably play a key role that is embedded within UK rural society. However, research led by University of Nottingham has identified various challenges and barriers that have affected relationships between UK sheep farmers and the veterinary profession. In response to these findings, Flock Health Clubs were developed as an initiative that aimed for improved and cost-effective sheep farmer–veterinary interaction. We report quantitative and qualitative data that assess the impact of Flock Health Clubs and indeed show tangible improvements in both farmer–veterinary surgeon relationships and measures of flock health and welfare.
Changes in the farming industry including an over-all increase in farm size, consumer demand for high health status of products and lower profit margins have impacted sheep farming and caused the need for changes in flock management (Lowe, 2009). The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) of the UK government issued a report stating the importance of farm animal veterinary surgeons providing preventative advice about disease rather than focusing solely on treating individual animals (Lowe, 2009). Disease prevention can be aided by monitoring the nutrition, husbandry and genetic selection of farm animals, as well as health, but it requires the establishment of a relationship between veterinary surgeons and farmers. While this approach has been widely taken up in the dairy cattle and pig sectors, studies indicated there was limited evidence of regular preventative advice being given to sheep farmers by veterinary surgeons and instead the majority of sheep farmers still considered the veterinary surgeon only as an emergency contact (Kaler and Green, 2013).
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