Latest news with #AHI
Agriland
4 days ago
- Health
- Agriland
Weather conditions may offer perfect environment for lungworm to develop
After a few weeks of dry and warm weather, the recent rainfall may have created the perfect environment for lungworm development. Lungworm, also known as 'hoose', is a respiratory disease caused by the roundworm parasite Dictyocaulus viviparous and usually thrives and multiplies in humid conditions following rainfall. As the last couple of weeks have been dry, many animals will have experienced low levels of worm burdens thus far. However, with rainfall over the last week expected to continue into next week, vigilance is key. An infection starts off with one or two animals struggling to catch their breadth or coughing, and can quickly spread and affect cows within the herd. It is often more noticeable when cattle are being moved, as they can begin to struggle with breathing. Coughing can then quickly turn into pneumonia. Lungworm Lungworm has a number of phases. Adult lungworms live in the lungs and lay eggs, which are coughed up and swallowed. Older animals such as yearling or adults may serve as carriers over the winter, as some adult worms will survive in the lung. These eggs will then hatch and develop into stage one larvae as it is passed through the intestine before being released in the dung, where the larvae will then develop in stage three in the dung pat. When rain falls, or through the aid of the fungus Pilobolus spreading its spores, the splashing effect helps the stage three larvae travel from the dung pat up the grass plant, ready to be ingested by the animal. Once ingested, the larvae is passed from the intestine to the lung and grow into adult worms, piercing their way through the intestinal wall to move into the blood and lymphatic system to get to the lungs. It may take up to 24-28 days from the larvae being eaten to the passing of eggs but if the weather is warm, up around 20℃ and humid, infectious larvae may be available on pasture within seven days, according to Teagasc. Young calves that are on their first season of grazing are most susceptible to pick up lungworm, so they should be closely monitored for any clinical signs. Paddocks that were grazed by calves the year before are at a higher risk of contamination due to over-wintering of larvae. The risk assessment of different pastures at spring and mid summer as per Animal Health Ireland (AHI) are as follows: Time High-risk pastures Medium-risk pastures Low-risk pastures Spring Grazed by young calves in the previous year. Grazed by lungworm-infected cattle in the previous year Grazed only by cows or yearlings with no history of hoose in the previous year New pasture. Grazed by sheep or used for hay or silage only in the previous year Mid-summer Grazed by young calves in the spring Grazed only by cows or yearlings with no history of hoose Grazed by sheep or after grass (used only for silage or hay in the first half of the season) So, symptoms normally are seen in young cattle in their first grazing season, typically in the latter part of the summer. Symptoms will vary depending on the number of larvae ingested and on the animals immune response, but are as follows: Mildly affected animals will be coughing on and off, especially after exercise; Moderately affected animals will cough regularly at rest and have an increased respiratory rate; Severely affected animals will have difficulty breathing and may adapt a stance where the head and neck stretch out, mouth is open and the tongue hangs out; Lung damage can be severe and the damage can sometimes be irreversible, so mortality can occur despite the removal of worms with an anthelmintic; In milking cows, it can cause a severe drop in milk yield and this can occur before coughing; The problem is that when cows are affected, they are more susceptible to other respiratory pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. If a lungworm infection has been identified, treatment with one of the three classes of anthelmintic (white, yellow, clear) will be required. Treatment of the whole group should be done quickly after the appearance of clinical signs in order to limit the impact of the infection. If lungworm treatment gets delayed, lung damage may become severe and be untreatable and if heavy infections of lungworm are suspected within your calves or in your herd, your vet should be contacted to seek advice before treatment.
Agriland
09-05-2025
- Health
- Agriland
Heydon to ‘move quickly' to ‘refine' TB Eradication Programme
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has said that he will 'move quickly to refine' the TB Eradication Programme following the emergency meeting with farm organisations and other sector stakeholders. The meeting took place yesterday (Thursday, May 8) in Dublin. The objective of the meeting, which Minister Heydon convened and attended himself, was to address deteriorating TB disease levels. TB disease levels have increased significantly in recent years. Herd incidence has gone from 4.31% in 2022 to 6.04% in 2024, a 36% increase in the number of herds restricted between 2022 and 2024. This is a point not seen since 2003. The following organisations and bodies attended the meeting: Animal Health Ireland (AHI); Irish Farmers' Association (IFA); National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS); Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS); Irish Natura and Hill Farmers' Association (INHFA); Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA); Macra; Veterinary Ireland; Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA); Teagasc. These groups were given an opportunity to provide feedback on proposed measures to tackle TB at the start of the summit. This was followed by bilateral meetings with the minister and his officials. Commenting on the summit, Minister Heydon said 'The most effective way to mitigate the impact of this disease on farm families is to reduce its incidence and the potential of spread between herds. 'This will involve some difficult decisions, and I wanted to provide an opportunity to those affected to provide their perspectives on what is a significant challenge for all concerned,' he added. 'I also want to ensure that any measures that we adopt are based on the very best scientific advice. 'I am satisfied that today's engagement will contribute to a more effective programme that protects farmers from this disease,' the minister said. He added: 'I intend to move quickly now to refine the programme to ensure that we do what is necessary to reduce the impact of this disease on farm families.' It is understood that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine outlined around 30 draft proposals to tackle the rising incidence rate of TB at the emergency meeting. Agriland understands that the department presented proposals at yesterday's meeting under the following headings: Support herds to remain free of bovine TB; Reduce the impact of wildlife on the spread of bovine TB; Detect and eliminate TB infection as early as possible in herds with a TB breakdown and avoid a future breakdown; Help farmers improve all areas of on-farm biosecurity; Reduce the impact of known high risk animals in spreading TB. The draft proposals are understood to have stated that information on TB herd risk category would be provided at point of sale for all cattle.
Agriland
25-04-2025
- Health
- Agriland
Number of BVD positive herds up nearly 20% year on year
The number of Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) positive herds has increased by nearly 20% since this time last year – increasing to 113 positive herds in week 17 of 2025 from 92 positive herds in the same period last year. According to Animal Health Ireland's (AHI) latest BVD free programme results the number of BVD positive calves at week 17 of 2025 was recorded at 367 head compared to 189 in the same period of 2024. The number of BVD positive calves represents an 85% increase from the same period in 2024. AHI told Agriland that 'it has been a disappointment to see a rise in positive BVD test results in 2025 to date when compared to last year.' Out of the 1,472,699 calves that have been tested so far in 2025, 99.25% of those calves tested have come back as negative results, three returned as inconclusive, and 10,561 (0.72%) came back as empty. BVD Agriland had asked AHI if the rise in BVD positive calves and the number of herds affected was a concern for their programme. In response AHI's programme manager for BVD and IBR, Maria Guelbenzu said: 'Significant progress has been made by the Irish BVD Eradication programme. 'Last year alone saw a 31% reduction in affected animals and a 24% reduction in affected herds compared with 2023.' Guelbenzu added that 'While it is early in the year to assess the impact of this increase and whether it will sustain, Animal Health Ireland is currently performing analyses to assess the reasons behind the increase and remains in constant contact with the Department of Agriculture on the issue.' The programme manager said that one of the reasons for the rise in cases from last year is the occurrence of large outbreaks in dairy herds. Guelbenzu added: 'While investigations into the source of these particular outbreaks are ongoing, we believe several factors may be contributing to this including a decline in herd immunity on farms.' She also said that while the number of affected herds is 'still small' – 113 out of 42,279 of herds tested to date this year – the effect on those herds can be substantial. Guelbenzu has urged farmers 'to be vigilant, sample and test their calves promptly, keep untested animals separate from pregnant animals and act quickly if a positive result is obtained'. For farmers who are in close proximity to positive BVD cases, Guelbenzu also advised them to 'review their biosecurity protocols and consider additional precautions, including vaccination. Programme maps are updated monthly and available in AHI's website.' She added: 'Irish farmers have put in an enormous effort to achieve freedom from the disease and it is crucial that we continue to pursue the collective goal of becoming BVD free.' Preventing the spread The longer a BVD-positive (BVD+) calf remains on the farm, the greater the risk of infection spreading, both within the herd and to neighbouring farms. Farmers should follow the following tips: Tag all newborn calves as soon as possible after birth. Ensure that calves are dry before tagging to minimise the occurrence of 'empty' tags (tags without tissue samples); Isolate newborn calves from pregnant cows and maintain strict biosecurity measures until a negative test result is confirmed; Farmers participating in the National Genotyping Programme will receive double tissue tags. Note that BVD sampling under this scheme requires a different set of taggers. BVD sample bottles/vials and lab envelopes are white, while DNA sample bottles/vials and lab envelopes are pink. Ensure each sample type is sent to the correct laboratory. Farmers in proximity to positive BVD cases should review their biosecurity protocols and consider additional precautions, including vaccination. Quarantining new cattle entering a yard is also crucial as is ensuring that people entering the yard dip their boots in disinfectant, especially with an AI technician frequenting a yard during the breeding season.
CBC
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
AHI explains how a chance encounter at a truck stop got him into songwriting
The Canadian singer-songwriter sits down with Q's Tom Power to discuss his new album, The Light Behind the Sun Social Sharing You never know who you might meet at a Canadian gas station. AHI sits down with Tom Power to tell us how a chance encounter at a truck stop in Thunder Bay, Ont., inspired him to pursue music full-time. He also sets up a song called Human Kind off his new album, The Light Behind the Sun.
