Animal Health Ireland Releases Guide to Enhance Calf Rearing Practices

Animal Health Ireland (AHI) has introduced a new guide titled Healthy Calves: Your Profitable Future, aimed at enhancing calf rearing practices during the first year. The guide was developed in collaboration with the CalfCare Technical Working Group (TWG) and is supported by Volac Milk Replacers. It provides practical, evidence-based recommendations tailored for real farm conditions, covering nutrition, housing, health management, and welfare.

The guide underscores the importance of early-life management in influencing growth rates, disease resistance, and longevity. AHI highlights the collaboration between farmers, advisers, veterinarians, and industry partners in creating this resource. Dr. Michelle McGrath from AHI emphasizes that managing diseases like scour and pneumonia is crucial for both calf welfare and farm profitability.

Dr. Catherine McAloon from University College Dublin, chair of the CalfCare TWG, notes that calves receiving optimal care early on show better health outcomes and longer productive lifespans. Volac Milk Replacers supports the guide, highlighting the role of nutrition in early life as a key factor in calf growth and future productivity.

The initiative reflects the dairy industry's shift towards aligning productivity with welfare standards, offering structured resources to support a sustainable and profitable sector.