Spring is well on the way and with it the familiar hustle and bustle of the calving and lambing. There may be some signs of hope for fewer masks as well! Looking back through our previous newsletters, a well-coined phrase crops up again and again: 'Prevention is better than cure'. I am happy to reiterate this because - as we can see being illustrated in the media and amongst our friends and families - a vaccination to increase protection from a disease is much better than having to seek healthcare to recover from it.

Many of you will be aware that we often take blood samples of young adult cattle within your herds to get an idea of which diseases are circulating, and frequently causing unseen losses. One of the diseases we look for is leptospirosis. Approximately 60% of dairy herds are infected with leptospirosis. Meanwhile, CHeCS estimates 75% of UK cattle have been exposed, affecting both dairy and suckler herds.

Read our full newsletter here on Leptospirosis