Good health improves herd efficiency

He said: “By increasing the number of calves reared in a 100 cow herd by 8 per cent and the weaning weights of the calves by 30kg, at current prices these improvements would yield an additional £94 of income per cow. Take that over ten years and the financial benefit would be £94,000 extra income.”

As to how such improvements could be achieved, Mr Pritchard offered a number of suggestions, including referring to EBVs as an indication of an animal’s breeding merit for economically important traits.

A compact calving, aiming for 65 per cent of cows to calve in first three weeks, would also contribute to heavier weaning weights, he said, while helping to also ensure on-going herd fertility.

Mr Pritchard said sound and fertile bulls were crucial and a bull MOT is recommended, as well as cows condition score 2.5-3.0 at bulling.

The basic foundation for any efficient breeding herd was good health, which the cattle producers of Orkney, home to the densest population of beef cattle in Europe, had proved in recent years, he said.

More than 500 Orcadian herds had embarked on a BVD eradication programme less than ten years ago and now over 9 per cent were BVD-free accredited.

SAC figures show that since tackling BVD each herd was averaging three to four more calves weaned per annum, plus much improved weaning weights, resulting in more and bigger cattle.