Beef & Lamb

Calf Action Conference 2026

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 16:17:35 GMT

Hear about practical approaches to calf rearing, how to give calves the right start and how you can improve consistency, health and welfare on farm.

Focused on 'Raising the standard: Rearing all calves with care and purpose', the conference will combine strategic updates from keynote speakers with interactive workshops and on-farm sessions covering calf health, welfare, housing, feeding, disease management and skills development.

The day will conclude with a panel discussion exploring how the GB Calf Strategy can work in practice across different farming systems.

Delivered by Innovation for Agriculture and supported by AHDB, this will be a practical, collaborative event for anyone involved in calf rearing and youngstock management.

On the day

Hands-on workshops and on-farm sessions
Calf housing, feeding, hygiene and disease management
Skills, training and future qualifications for calf rearers
Open discussion with farmers and experts

Who should come?

Calf rearers
Dairy and beef farmers
Vets and advisers
Industry and supply chain partners
Training and education providers

The conference is kindly sponsored by MSD Animal Health, Zoetis, Galebreaker, ForFarmers and SCCL.

Somerset: Post-mortem demonstration

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 13:44:15 GMT

Explore the value of on-farm post-mortem examinations with Ben Strugnell of Farm Post Mortems Ltd.

Post-mortems are an important tool for the diagnosis and prevention of disease in farm animals and should form part of any herd or flock health plan.

Learn how post-mortems can help you:

Identify common causes of death
Detect herd health issues earlier
Improve disease prevention on farm
Make better management decisions

Refreshments will be available from 6:30pm and the workshop will start at 7:00pm.

To book your place or find out more, contact Wyvern Farm Vets:

T: 01373 451115

E: office@wyvernfarmvets.co.uk

Dairy beef calf registration growth and suckler decline persisted in 2025, but a slowing of trends? Beef market update

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 09:35:55 GMT

Dairy beef calf registration growth and suckler decline persisted in 2025, but a slowing of trends? Beef market update

Breeding for sustainability for the commercial flock

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 16:49:17 GMT

Prospect Poll Dorsets have been performance recording their Poll Dorsets for seven years and have been involved in the national Breed for CH4nge Innovate Research Project, which looks at reducing methane emissions from sheep through breeding choices.

The flock is farmed predominately on low-input grassland on the Purbeck coast, along with their Stabiliser and Belted Galloway cattle and Hebridean sheep.

We'll be looking at how they approach sustainable parasite control and how it has overlapped with the Breed for CH4nge project.

During a farm walk we'll look at:

The impact of performance recording on the flock output and breeding values
How genomics is being introduced and why it’s relevant for commercial flock performance
How this autumn-lambing flock is managed

Speakers

Emily Gascoigne, Synergy Farm Health, specialist sheep vet, Prospect Poll Dorsets
Emily Fraser, sheep resident, PVC/Synergy Farm Health
Charlotte Mouland, sheep vet, Synergy Farm Health
Sam Boon, Senior Livestock Consultant, AHDB
Janet Roden, sheep genetecist, Innovis Sheep Breeding

A light lunch will be provided.

NSA Northern Region sheep post-mortem event

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 16:17:23 GMT

Learn about the internal effects of parasite damage through demonstrations of sheep post-mortems.

The post-mortems will be carried out and explained by Ben Strugnell BVM&S Cert PM MRCVS of Farm Post Mortems Ltd. Ben is a world-renowned independent vet and farm animal pathologist.

We will discuss:

Why, when and how post-mortems take place and the benefits of them
What organs look like and the common causes of death in lambs
How worms can affect your flock and current best practice advice on effective worm control
The importance of minerals and blousing

Pulled lamb roll and refreshments provided for all registrants.

This event will be taking place on Rebecca Wilson's farm. Rebecca is NSA Northern Region committee member and representative for NSA English Committee.

Breed for CH4nge – industry event to share our findings

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 15:49:07 GMT

Celebrate innovation, collaboration and the future of sustainable sheep farming at the closing event of the three-year Breed for CH4nge project.

Join us for an exclusive farm walk at Lodge Farm, hosted by project breeder Matt Harding, followed by engaging presentations showcasing the project’s key findings, practical outcomes, and what they mean for the future of low-emissions livestock systems.

This is a great opportunity to see the research in action, share insights and explore how breeding can help drive both productivity and environmental progress across the sheep sector.

For more information about Breed for CH4nge please do check out the project website Breed for CH4nge

We will be discussing:

Introduction: The importance of environmental breeding goals – Janet Roden
Genetic influences on methane production – Nicola Lambe
Breeding tools to help us to select for sheep with a naturally low carbon footprint – Emma Dods and Samuel Boon
Carbon footprint modelling and ways we can make a difference – Daniel Owen and Karl Behrendt
What it all means for the sheep industry – Phil Stocker

Arrival and refreshments at 11:00am with the event starting at 11:30am

The event is free to attend. Lunch will be provided.

Commercial farm hosts wanted to gather lamb data for RamCompare

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 13:43:35 GMT

Commercial farm hosts wanted to gather lamb data for RamCompare

Spring nitrogen planning: Using excess winter rainfall data

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 11:34:45 GMT

Spring nitrogen planning: Using excess winter rainfall data

Bluetongue virus impact: Lambing 2026

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 15:35:41 GMT

During this webinar we'll share the latest updates on the current bluetongue virus (BTV) situation and the impact on lambing.

The speakers and agenda will be confirmed soon.

The webinar will close with a Q&A session and you can also submit questions in advance.

This event forms part of a series of webinars that we are running to share timely and accurate information to help you understand what the latest updates mean for the UK.

If you are unable to attend, please still register and you will be sent a recording following the event.

Further information

Bluetongue movements checker tool
Download the BTV vaccination cost calculator for sheep
Find out more about bluetongue virus on our website or visit ruminanthw.org.uk for advice and support
If you have concerns or questions, contact the AHDB bluetongue virus helpline on: 0247 771 0386
Sign up to receive the latest information from AHDB

Bluetongue virus impact: Calving 2026

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 15:35:41 GMT

During this webinar we'll share the latest updates on the current bluetongue virus (BTV) situation and the impact on calving.

The speakers and agenda will be confirmed soon.

The webinar will close with a Q&A session and you can also submit questions in advance.

This event forms part of a series of webinars that we are running to share timely and accurate information to help you understand what the latest updates mean for the UK.

If you are unable to attend, please still register and you will be sent a recording following the event.

Further information

Bluetongue movements checker tool
Download the BTV vaccination cost calculator for cattle
Download the BTV vaccination cost calculator for dairy cattle
Find out more about bluetongue virus on our website or visit ruminanthw.org.uk for advice and support
If you have concerns or questions, contact the AHDB bluetongue virus helpline on: 0247 771 0386
Sign up to receive the latest information from AHDB

What really drives meat purchases?

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 15:09:02 GMT

What really drives meat purchases?

Important update on AHDB’s deadweight sheep price reporting

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 14:20:48 GMT

Important update on AHDB’s deadweight sheep price reporting

Red meat retail performance – 22 February 2026

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 10:31:14 GMT

Red meat retail performance – 22 February 2026

Meat shopper journey: The purchase journey in summary

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:23:00 GMT

Meat shopper journey: The purchase journey in summary

Meat shopper journey: In-store shopper behaviour

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:22:00 GMT

Meat shopper journey: In-store shopper behaviour

Meat shopper journey: Meat - the say-do gap

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:21:00 GMT

Meat shopper journey: Meat - the say-do gap

What’s the outlook for Australia and New Zealand’s beef and lamb sectors and what does this mean for the UK?

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 11:45:07 GMT

What’s the outlook for Australia and New Zealand’s beef and lamb sectors and what does this mean for the UK?

Weekly cattle and sheep market wrap – 19 February 2026

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 08:44:54 GMT

Weekly cattle and sheep market wrap – 19 February 2026

Winchester: Regional livestock health and welfare update

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 14:30:55 GMT

Hear the latest information on bluetongue, parasite control strategies and the support available to you via the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway.

This event is being hosted by AHDB and Westpoint Farm Vets (Winchester)

Agenda

6:00pm Arrival and tea/coffee
6:15pm AHDB regional update
6:30pm Bluetongue latest news and an update from our Animal Health and Welfare team
7:00pm Cattle and sheep health update, including lamb parasites, BVD and support from the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway – Winchester Farm Vets
7:30pm Food and networking
8:30pm Close

This event is free to attend but please register in advance to ensure you are catered for.

Red meat retail performance - 25 January 2026

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 16:40:35 GMT

Red meat retail performance - 25 January 2026