increase font size
B+LNZ recently held a workshop to examine the main risk factors contributing to lamb losses.
Improving lamb survival rates is a key focus for New Zealand farmers, especially this time of year.
To address this, Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) recently held a workshop led by Dr Mhairi Sutherland, senior scientist for animal health and welfare research.
This co-design workshop, facilitated by Ange McFetridge, brought together farmers (over a third of the attendees), B+LNZ experts, researchers and veterinarians to examine the main risk factors contributing to lamb losses.
The goal was to identify where extension activities and research opportunities could be leveraged to provide farmers with practical tools to improve lamb survival and boost profitability.
Lamb mortality is complex, with most losses occurring in the first few days of life. Key factors include starvation, exposure, poor ewe body condition and management practices, alongside genetics, nutrition and dystocia (difficult births). These issues were explored in detail, leading to productive discussions on where research and extension efforts could deliver the greatest impact for farmers.
“Farmers care deeply for their animals and want to see them thrive,” says Sutherland.
“Improving lamb survival not only enhances animal welfare but also boosts farm profitability by providing more lambs to sell.”
One attendee was Steve Nichol, a member of the B+LNZ Farmer Research Advisory Group (FRAG) and farming 4500 ewes in Otago.
He found the workshop very valuable saying “the workshop was a great opportunity to interact with passionate industry experts. It will help us refine extension services to better meet the needs of today’s farmers and explore new opportunities”.
Sally Newell, a farmer, vet, and FRAG member echoed this sentiment: “Bringing together forward- thinking farmers, researchers and rural professionals led to robust discussions.
We came up with plenty of ideas for B+LNZ to focus on, both in research and extension, to improve lamb survival across New Zealand.”
By understanding the challenges and opportunities, farmers can take targeted actions such as improving ewe nutrition, refining lambing management, and focusing on genetic selection to reduce losses.
“Optimising these areas will help farmers allocate resources more efficiently and improve overall farm performance,” adds Sutherland.
As lamb survival remains a priority, B+LNZ’s focus on addressing these challenges will help deliver practical, farm-ready solutions. Insights from this workshop will inform future research and extension programmes, empowering farmers to reduce lamb mortality and enhance farm performance.
Article supplied by Beef + Lamb NZ
Autumn calves are born in kinder conditions than what their spring cousins enjoy. But it takes a careful nutrition regime and a close eye on growth targets to capitalise on the opportunity nature, through pasture, offers this time of year.
Everyone from experienced veterinarians and young professionals to the Wormwise programme and outstanding clinics have been recognised in this year’s New Zealand Veterinary Association Te Pae Kīrehe (NZVA) awards.
New Zealand's TBfree programme has made great progress in reducing the impact of the disease on livestock herds, but there’s still a long way to go, according to Beef+Lamb NZ.
Wintering decisions shape the success of early lactation.
The dairy sector is in a strong position, with high milk prices, declining interest rates, and renewed confidence.
New Zealand’s special agricultural trade envoy Hamish Marr believes the outlook for the dairy sector remains strong.
Everyone from experienced veterinarians and young professionals to the Wormwise programme and outstanding clinics have been recognised in this year’s New Zealand Veterinary Association Te Pae Kīrehe (NZVA) awards.
OPINION: The Government's latest move to make freshwater farm plans more practical and affordable is welcome, and long overdue.
Global Dairy Trade (GDT) and Arla Foods have announced that Arla will begin offering European-sourced skim milk powder (SMP) on GDT Pulse from May 2025 as part of an extension to the GDT Pulse pilot.
Farmers in the Australian state of New South Wales will soon be able to use virtual fencing and herding technology to boost farm productivity.
Hawke's Bay teenage entrepreneur Hugo Moffett is helping the rural community access cheaper school uniforms, all without leaving their homes.
OPINION: The appendage swinging contest between the US and China continues, with China hitting back with a new rate of…
OPINION: The irony of President Trump’s tariff obsession is that the worst damage may be done to his own people.
