Diseases affecting beef cattle

Diseases can have varying impacts on welfare, productivity and profitability. They account for significant financial losses, compromise animal welfare and increase the environmental footprint of your livestock. Understanding what might be circulating in your herd is a vital first step in managing, controlling and minimising the impact of diseases.

Plan

Creating an active, flexible and bespoke health plan enables you to minimise the impact of disease and improve the effectiveness of disease control measures on your farm by managing protocols, product choices and time of application.

Working with your vet to plan ahead and make informed decisions about the best use of medicines on your farm can also increase herd productivity and labour efficiency, and slow the development of drug resistance.

Prevent

Implementing good biosecurity measures on your farm is one of the most effective ways you can reduce disease.

By preventing disease on your farm, you will save money and time incurred by treating sick animals, as well as reduce the need for reactive treatments and improve herd health and welfare and your environmental footprint.

Protect

Protecting your livestock with vaccines alongside measuring and monitoring colostrum ensures cattle get the best start in life, improves immunity and, subsequently, reduces the need for antibiotics.

Current disease prevention activity

Some of the key activities we are currently working on include:

Below are some diseases that affect beef cattle, along with clinical signs, transmission and treatment.

Notifiable diseases

Notifiable diseases are diseases that you are legally obliged to report to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), even if you only suspect an animal is affected.

If you suspect a notifiable disease, you must report it immediately by calling the Defra Rural Services Helpline on 03000 200 301. Failure to do so is an offence.

In Wales, contact 0300 303 8268. In Scotland, contact your local Field Services Office.

Horizon scanning

We actively look for emerging threats – be that new diseases, welfare issues or medicines availability.

We focus on threats affecting animal welfare, humans, and food safety and security. We do this through collaborations – both nationally and internationally – with experts, stakeholders and the farming community.