Author: c001os

Hilda is the first to be born in the Langhill cow herd. Located in southern Scotland, the cow has been born through IVF and specifically bred to produce less methane.

Three technologies have been used to create Hilda, including systems that can predict an individual cow’s methane production based on DNA. Eggs were also extracted for fertilisation at a younger age with semen pre-sorted for sex.

“You mix those three [technologies] together, and that enables you to accelerate female selection for reduced methane, one calf at a time,” said Mike Coffey at Scotland’s sustainability-focused Rural College, who explained repeating this process would eventually lead to a low methane herd. The ultimate goal is to create a stock that significantly reduces methane emissions.

Traditional selection of cows for dairy and meat based on these traits has brought emissions down by around 1% annually. It is believed that by adopting this tech-enabled approach the methane output of a herd would plummet by 30% over the next two decades.

The economic feasibility of such innovations remains a challenge. Today, the cost of producing Hilda is around double the economic value of the animal itself. This means government intervention could be needed to make the approach cost effective, in the same way EVs have become established through policy levers. This comes at a time when several countries are competing to cut methane emissions from livestock.

The efforts unfolding in Scotland reflect the global drive to rapidly reduce methane emissions. These technology-driven solutions could shape the future of sustainable agricultural practices worldwide.

A common disease affecting between 5% and 60% of dairy cattle in the UK, cystic ovarian disease negatively impacts cow productivity, with effects on both farm efficiency and profitability.

The disease leads to a prolonged interval between calving and conception, resulting in decreased milk production and increased culling rates. These factors collectively affect the economic sustainability of dairy farms, emphasizing the need for effective management and treatment strategies.

Veterinarians and farmers are urged to collaborate closely to mitigate the impacts of this disease through regular health monitoring and appropriate medical interventions. Cystic ovarian disease remains a critical concern for the dairy industry, demanding continued research and attention to ensure the welfare of cattle and the viability of dairy operations.

The Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak in Germany is still confined to just one case. The virus reappeared in the country after nearly 40 years, when in early January 2025, 3 dead water buffalo tested positive on a farm 20 kilometres from Berlin (in Hoppegarten, Brandenburg). As a precaution, all other 11 water buffalo on the organic farm were culled, as well as animals on farms within a 1 km radius, which included 170 pigs. A week later there was panic that the virus may have emerged at a 2nd location in a nearby goat farm, but tests revealed that samples tested negative for FMD virus.

In the Barnim district, about 15 km from the location of the outbreak, goats on a hobby farm had been found with blisters in their mouths. Those animals were culled on Wednesday. The German reference lab, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, reported on Friday morning that the animals did not carry the virus nor had antibodies against FMD virus.

Cem Özdemir, Germany’s federal minister of agriculture, was quoted to be upbeat about the fact that no further spread was demonstrated, but emphasised to continue being vigilant. He told the radio station Deutschlandfunk: “Germany isn’t free of FMD.” However, there is nothing to prevent milk and meat products from being sold outside of the restricted zones, he emphasised.

The country was seeking crisis aid for farmers from the EU and was also in talks with its finance ministry, he said.

Pig prices in the country have stabilised as fears subsided that foot-and-mouth disease would spread, while the EU has indicated that German meat and dairy product sales outside the region containing the case could continue.

Some emergency measures to restrict spread of the highly infectious disease, which poses no danger to humans, were lifted but quarantine zones remain in force.

Measures to contain the disease often involve bans on imports of meat and dairy products from affected countries. The UK, South Korea and Mexico imposed import bans on Germany, with the British decision causing pain to Germany’s livestock sector.

German animal disease research institute Friedrich Loeffler has said th

A sugar solution already used in some medical applications could reduce the use — and cost — of antibiotics when treating a common uterine infection in dairy cows, according to new research from The Pennsylvania State University. In the study, researchers treated cows with clinical metritis using either the antibiotic ceftiofur, or by draining the infected uterine fluid and then flushing with a sugar solution called dextrose. Both treatments appeared to be equally effective in treating the infection, though the antibiotics appeared to outperform the dextrose in cows with the most serious infections, according to Adrian Barragan, an associate research professor at Penn State.

Over the course of the trial, Barragan estimated that the average cost of the dextrose treatment ran about US$60 per cow, compared with US$340 for the antibiotic treatment. Dextrose solution, a form of glucose, is a commercially available product that is already used to treat conditions such as ketosis and downer cow syndrome, Barragan said. But researchers have suspected that it could have other applications for some time. Trial results, however, have been mixed.

In a 2016 study conducted by Barragan as part of his master’s thesis, dextrose proved promising in treating milder, sub-clinical forms of metritis. Cows with infections this mild typically recover on their own, Barragan said. So in a follow-up study, Barragan’s team attempted to use dextrose as a preventative treatment in cows at risk of developing metritis. Here, administering dextrose actually increased the odds that a cow would ultimately develop the infection, Barragan said. In cows that have yet to develop an infection, flushing the uterus with dextrose might effectively feed the bacteria that are present, Barragan said. This could occur because the healthy fluids present in the uterus prevent the dextrose from reaching concentrations needed to kill bacteria by dehydration — as seen in the most recent study where dextrose proved effective against active, clinical-level infections.

Dextrose might also aid in the treatment of other kinds of infections, such as mastitis, and this warrants further study, Barragan said. And Barragan noted that even though the results of the recent Penn State trial were unexpectedly promising, they also don’t suggest that producers could dispense with antibiotic treatments in all cases. The study’s sample size was relatively small, he said, and while the cows with more moderate symptoms made a full recovery, those with the most severe symptoms showed signs of decreased productivity when treated with dextrose alone.