RSPB Cymru INRS Veterinary Services Tender

The Project is looking to appoint an experienced consultant to provide legal and professional veterinary advice to the 8 farm businesses within this project area. The consultant must hold a veterinary degree approved by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and register as a member (MRCVS).

The grazing of cattle on upland areas will be used to improve the habitat for breeding curlew. Virtual fencing collars will be available to manage the cattle for the benefit of the curlew and the livestock.

Some farmers are unsure of how best to look after their cattle in upland habitat areas such as moorland and bog, therefore advice on potential welfare risks and how to mitigate for them is required. It is well known that anthelmintics, whilst in many cases necessary for animal welfare, has a detrimental effect on soil invertebrates and other insects.

This in turn reduces the quantity and quality of food for many birds, such as curlew. Adult curlew feed on soil invertebrates and curlew chicks forage above ground, feeding on aquatic invertebrates and pollinators.

Anthelmintic resistance could be affecting the way each farmer treats their livestock for intestinal worms. We would require each farm to be tested for resistance to the different anthelmintic groups and advice be provided on best practice plus potential ways of reducing their use.

Some of the farmers have expressed an interest in utilising more regenerative farming practices, notably mob grazing. The increased requirement for water provision and new permanent and electric fences will be funded through this project.

Advice about animal welfare issues associated with mob grazing techniques would be expected. Antibiotic use within the agriculture sector is under scrutiny.

Not only does the incorrect use of antibiotics impact on human health but also on wildlife. Advice on best practice and a ‘prevention is better than cure’ approach to disease would be expected.

Biosecurity measures should be included here. The commission will include the following elements: Group sessions covering topics which will benefit nature as described above Individual farmer sessions looking into anthelmintic use and resistance. 8 farmsteads Group session/s at the end of the 2 ½ year project with invitations to neighbouring farmers where changes to practices and lessons learnt are shared.

The project will arrange and fund the meeting space for group sessions. It is anticipated that the above veterinary advice will help contribute to the Sustainable Farming Scheme’s Universal Action 12 – Animal Health Improvement Cycle.

This action will apply to all farms where livestock are reared or farmed to produce foods and goods. One of the measurements could be related to one of the topics described above and a plan set out and agreed during a 1-to-1 session.

The farmer can apply the learning and act upon the plan before the actions are reviewed at the end of the three-year project to analyse the impacts that have been made and assess whether these have met the desired targets. The commission could also include; Individual farmer sessions focusing on individual needs which could contribute to UA12 The Veterinary Practice will be expected to work collaboratively with the project team and farmers.