Lamb preferred Christmas Day meat!
Lamb has claimed victory as the preferred Christmas Day meat of choice, according to a new survey.
Now is the time for sheep farmers to start warning their Christmas visitors that dogs need to be dosed for sheep measles or be left behind says Dan Lynch, project manager of Ovis Management Ltd.
The Christmas holidays are a period when throughout the country many farms play host to visitors or family members, many with dogs.
Unless farmers know the sheep measles treatment status of the dogs an unpleasant surprise might be waiting for them in a few months when lambs going to processing show up with infection.
Lynch says that while the national prevalence for the past season remained low at 0.66% in line with the previous season, significant infection levels among lambs from a small number of suppliers has resulted in meat inspection staff condemning stock at processing.
One line of lambs had 155 infected with eight condemned while another line had 120 infected and 16 condemned.
While many farms are dosing dogs monthly and farms are tightening their on-farm biosecurity, maintaining downward pressure on this parasite, the influx of external dogs over the holiday period is a significant risk, which must be addressed before dogs arrive on farm, says Lynch.
“Sheep measles’ eggs spread in the wind and can survive 4-6 months on pasture so ask about dogs being treated now,” stresses Lynch.
Reducing the risk
South Waikato farm manager Ben Purua’s amazing transformation from gang life to milking cows was rewarded with the Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer award last night.
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.