In this exclusive webinar, sponsored by MSD Animal Health, panellists shared practical guidance on reducing the impact of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in youngstock. The webinar was hosted by Farmers Guardian editor, Katie Jones.
BRD costs the UK beef and dairy sectors an estimated £80 million a year in lost productivity, treatment costs and mortality¹, with young calves especially vulnerable as fluctuating temperatures, nutritional stress and group mixing create ideal conditions for respiratory pathogens to spread. Whether you're rearing calves indoors or managing mixed-age groups, understanding the early warning signs of BRD, the diagnostic tools now available, and how vaccination fits into your herd health plan is crucial to protecting calf performance and preventing avoidable losses.
Panellists
Ben Strugnell
Independent Farm Animal Vet, Farm Post Mortems
Ben qualified from the University of Edinburgh in 2002 and spent five years in mixed practice in North Yorkshire, focusing on farm animals, before developing his expertise in pathology with the Veterinary Laboratory Agency in Thirsk. He founded Farm Post Mortems to provide accessible, cost-effective post-mortem services for farmers and vets, and discussed the role coronavirus could be playing as a gateway pathogen for other respiratory infections, drawing on findings from his post-mortem work across UK farms.
Kat Baxter-Smith BVetMed CertAVP(EM) MRCVS
Biopharmaceutical Veterinary Adviser, MSD Animal Health
Kat graduated from the Royal Veterinary College, London in 2010 and worked in mixed practice (equine and farm animal) in the UK for seven years, completing an advanced certificate in large animal and equine internal medicine. She has been with MSD since 2017, first as a field Veterinary Adviser, then as Sector Veterinary Adviser for Sheep and Beef, and now in her current role. Her main field of interest is cattle youngstock health, and she has published widely and presented at scientific congresses in the UK and abroad. Kat gave an overview of BRD and its impact on calf health and performance.
Lottie Wilson
Third-generation Dairy Farmer, Mountain Park Farm, Pembrokeshire
Lottie farms in partnership with her father and grandparents on their 750-acre farm, milking around 350 Holstein Friesian cows in an all-year-round semi-intensive system and rearing all their own replacements. She graduated from the University of Nottingham with a BSc in Agriculture in 2024 and is continuing her postgraduate studies with Aberystwyth University, as well as being a Nuffield Next Gen Dairy Scholar for 2026. She shared firsthand how she's using routine lung scanning (TUS) to identify respiratory disease in her calves before they show visible clinical signs, allowing for earlier intervention, more effective treatment and improved recovery outcomes.
Katie Harrower BVetMed PGDip(VCP) MRCVS
Farm Animal Vet, Fenton Vets
Katie graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2019 and joined Fenton Vets after graduation for a year-long production animal internship. Aside from a brief spell working in Dorset, she has been at the practice ever since.
