Call for calf rearers to join research workshop

“When margins are tight in the dairy industry it can be difficult to make investments in calves. The workshop aims to identify solutions at and beyond the farm level and present these solutions to policy makers and industry stakeholders”

Researchers at the James Hutton Institute are looking for dairy calf rearers to join a workshop as part of an EU-funded research project. The workshop is one of three events aiming to identify challenges calf rearers face and solutions within the dairy industry to help improve animal health, and make calf rearers’ lives easier.

Dr Orla Shortall, a social scientist at the Institute, said: “Calf rearing can be a lonely job on the farm, with little chance to share experiences and learn from other calf rearers.

“When margins are tight in the dairy industry it can be difficult to make investments in calves. The workshop aims to identify solutions at and beyond the farm level and present these solutions to policy makers and industry stakeholders.”

Hutton scientists are looking for views and stories from calf rearers, whether they’re just starting out or have years of experience. The first workshop is online on the 3^rd March 2021, from 7:00-8:30 am. To take part contact Carol Kyle.

The workshop is part of research about the changing antimicrobial usage on farms called ROADMAP: Rethinking of Antimicrobial Decision-systems in the Management of Animal Production. The work is funded by the European Commission’s research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020.