Changing farmer behaviour – a new way forward

Join AHDB to hear how a package of support and proactively managing on-farm data has led to dairy farmers changing their perspective on disease management. Along with behaviour change, hear how the wrap around support (HerdAdvance) has led to widespread animal health and productivity progress on participating farms.

"HerdAdvance was the incentive I needed to address issues on farm. The support and encouragement gave me the confidence to make changes"

Since its launch in 2019, HerdAdvance has supported more than 500 Welsh dairy farmers to put measures in place to improve animal health and welfare by adopting pre-emptive herd health planning techniques.

The pilot project provided one-to-one farmer support and facilitated farmers and vets to work together to ensure a joined up holistic approach to addressing dairy animal health and welfare concerns whilst also utilising data to make informed management decisions

AHDB along with industry experts and HerdAdvance evaluators James Breen and David Rose will present the findings of the HerdAdvance project focusing on:

• Understanding how project aims and objectives were met
• Farmer behaviour changes resulting from project participation
• Outcome measures in animal health and welfare improvements
• The impact the learnings could have on future funding opportunities

HerdAdvance is part of the five-year Dairy Improvement Programme, which has received funding through the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.

For more information regarding the event please email Teaghan Tayler – Senior Knowledge Exchange Manager Wales teaghan.tayler@ahdb.org.uk.

Speaker biographies

James Breen BVSc PhD DCHP MRCVS - RCVS Recognised Specialist in Cattle Health & Production

James qualified as a veterinary surgeon from the University of Bristol in 1998 and after working with companion and farm animals as a veterinary assistant in practice in Somerset, he returned to Bristol in 2001 to take up a residency in Farm Animal Medicine. He later joined Prof Andrew Bradley and Prof Martin Green working on a national dairy cow mastitis research project under the MDC and was involved in the development of the national AHDB Dairy Mastitis Control Plan. He subsequently completed a three-year RCVS Trust residency in Production Animal Medicine, dividing his time between dairy practice in Somerset, laboratory consultancy work for QMMS Ltd and mastitis research. He currently divides his time between teaching at the University of Nottingham Veterinary School and independent consultancy work for Map of Ag, working with dairy farmers and supply chain, as well as remaining in part-time dairy veterinary practice in Glastonbury. He holds the RCVS Certificate in Cattle Health and Production (2003) and the RCVS Diploma in Cattle Health and Production (2008) and was awarded a PhD for studies into cow risk factors for clinical mastitis and increased somatic cell count. He is an RCVS-Recognised Specialist in Cattle Health and Production.

David Rose - Professor of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, Cranfield University

David is a Rural Geographer and leads the Change in Agriculture Group, which is split between Cranfield (joined May 2022) and Reading for the time being. The group works on aspects of farm extension - engaging, listening, and responding to farmer and other stakeholder views about changes in policy, innovation, or technology. We are interested in how changes in agriculture affect people, production, and the planet with a particular focus on mental health, farmer learning, governance, just transitions, animal welfare, behaviour change, and responsible innovation.