Mayo Sligo Mart to host first-ever AHI Weanling Week health series
AHEAD of the peak weanling sales season, Mayo Sligo Mart, along with Animal Health Ireland (AHI), is hosting a series of events aimed at ensuring calves are in top health for the sales. The events are supported by AIB.
The series, entitled Weanling Week - Worth Their Weight in Gold, will take place in three marts along the western seaboard.
AHI’s programme managers, as well as local vets, will provide expert veterinary advice on how to manage cows and calves over the weanling period, whether calves are being sold or retained for breeding. Each event will be chaired by Eilish Gill from AHI’s SPARC programme. A member of AIB will also be on hand to offer help and support to farmers from the locality.
Topics will include the need to know the calf’s weight, correct dosage rates, calibration of dosing equipment, the importance of dung sampling, top pre-housing checks, the animal diseases you need to be aware of, the tell-tale signs of a sick animal, and when to intervene.
The events will take place at Roscommon Mart on August 25, Ennis Mart on August 27, and Mayo Sligo Mart on August 28, all with a start time of 7.30 p.m.
Speaking ahead of the event, Dr. Natascha Meunier, AHI’s Beef HealthCheck programme manager, said: “We are looking forward to hosting this important weanling event in Mayo Sligo Mart, which has a great pedigree of selling top-class weanlings.
“The weanling season is the most important time of the year for a suckler farmer. Having spent years breeding a good animal and months rearing the calf, it all comes down to the weanling sales.
“With live cattle prices where they are and strong demand in the marts, ensuring that your weanling is the healthiest it can be is critical. We will walk farmers through the dos and don’ts of protecting their livestock around sales time. Anyone who is buying or selling weanlings is strongly encouraged to attend this important series run by AHI.”
Dr. Michelle McGrath, AHI’s CalfCare programme manager, added: “Whether you’re buying or selling weanlings this season, the health of the animal is very important. Farmers have worked incredibly hard to rear their calves from birth. They want to ensure that the person who buys them is getting a healthy and thriving animal.
“The difference here comes down to the health management around weanling time. It is also important that the cow is managed safely over the period to ensure she has time over the winter to recover.”