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.

Some researchers are focusing on the development of vaccines to reduce methane emissions from cows.

New Scientist reports that the startup Arkebio presented its vaccine, which is in development, to the American Society of Animal Science. The prototype vaccine works by stimulating the cow’s immune system to produce antibodies in the saliva that target the methane-producing microbes in the rumen.

Cows given the prototype vaccine produced 12.9% less methane over a period of 105 days. There were no adverse side effects or disruption of growth rate.

The trial included 10 cows, 5 of which received the vaccination in the neck, with a booster vaccination given after 56 days. The other 5 cows formed the control group. A second test with 14 cows started in June this year and is still ongoing. The first results indicate a methane reduction of at least 13% per cow.

A second group investigating the feasibility of a vaccine against methane is a collaboration in England led by The Pirbright Institute. Researchers control how methane-forming microbes populate the gastrointestinal tract of calves and how the immune system responds to them. Yet others are investigating whether they can tackle the methane-forming microbes with specific antibodies, which could result in a vaccine. The scientists involved expect that an effective vaccine will reduce methane production by more than 30%.

Two micro-organisms – a bacterium and an algae – can be used together to convert carbon dioxide and methane into a protein-rich biomass. The discovery has prompted the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (MPIs) to support Upflow and partners to progress the research.

The funding of nearly $5 million for the 4-year project will be the first in the world to pioneer biomass feedstock production from gases and robust microorganisms that thrive in the extreme conditions found at geothermal sites.

The biomass is created when microorganisms feed off greenhouse gas emissions captured from geothermal power stations, such as those used to generate electricity in the central North Island. The biomass produced is made up of several potentially commercial valuable components, including protein for animal feed.

Early-stage research looks promising. Industrial biotechnology processes developed by University of Canterbury researchers uses a methane-eating bacterium and a carbon dioxide-eating microalgae to capture the gases and use them as a food source for growth. The novel process generates a biomass rich in protein. It is being explored as an animal feed ingredient, use for human nutrition, or to produced high-value nutraceuticals or pigments.

Steve Penno, MPIs director of investment programmes, said it was an exciting project to support: “If successful, this could be the start of a new biomass feedstock manufacturing industry for New Zealand, worth an estimated $500 million per annum by 2045, creating new skilled jobs. “It would reduce our reliance on imported livestock feed, and decarbonise these industries, while also reducing the cost of carbon emissions for geothermal companies that adopt the system.”

Researchers at University of California, Davis, added fresh grape pomace left over from winemaking operations to alfalfa-based feed for dairy cows and found that methane emissions were reduced by 10% to 11%. The preliminary findings could offer a low-cost sustainable pathway for vineyards to reduce waste while helping dairy operations maintain quality while cutting back on emissions of methane, which is a powerful greenhouse gas.

“We found that the feed with the additive of grape pomace changed the fatty acid composition of the milk and, in particular, increased the polyunsaturated fats, which are the main fats in grape pomace,” said Selina Wang, head of research. “This suggests that supplementing the feed with an optimal fatty acid profile may have positive impact on the fatty acid profile of the milk and increase their health benefits.”

Wine grapes are high in fats and tannin, which is known to reduce methane emissions, so the research sought to test if adding grape pomace to feed could have a positive effect while not adversely affecting production. “It’s a byproduct that’s not being used much,” he said. “This is something that can be included in our efforts to try to reduce emissions.”

To do the research, scientists worked with Holstein dairy cows and gave the animals feed consisting of alfalfa, wheat, almond hulls, cottonseed and grain. After two weeks, the cows were split into three groups: A control group with no change in diet, another where the feed combination included 10% grape pomace and a third that received 15% grape pomace. Every four weeks, the cow groups would change feed combinations.

They were fed twice daily by postdoctoral students and interns, and emissions were monitored daily. Milk production was documented in the morning and evening and milk samples were collected weekly to analyze for fat, protein, lactose and other measurements, which showed no differences between the control and other groups.

Methane and hydrogen emissions were reduced compared with the control group, suggesting that grape pomace reduced enteric emissions without affecting production.

After 5 months of intense negotiations the Danish government is introducing an agricultural carbon tax payable by farmers, the first of its kind worldwide.

From 2030, this climate tax on agriculture will be charged at 300 Danish krone (€40; US$43) per ton of CO2e produced, increasing to 750 Danish krone (€100; US$107) by 2035.

However, a basic deduction, or tax break, of 60% will be applied to the average emissions from different types of livestock, providing an economic advantage to climate-efficient farmers. Following this reduction, farmers will pay 120 Danish krone (€16; US$17) per ton of CO2e in 2030, and 300 Danish krone in 2035.

Denmark is a big exporter of dairy and pork produce and agriculture emissions make up 22.4% of the country’s total carbon emissions, compared with 15.6% ten years ago.

In terms of numbers, Denmark has 547,000 dairy cows, on 2,300 farms, producing 5.87 billion kg of milk per year. It has around 900,000 beef and other cattle as well as 11.5 million pigs.

Experts believe the carbon tax will slash 1.8 million tonnes of carbon production in its first year of operation, enabling Denmark to meet its target of cutting 70% of its total emissions by that year.

This bold move comes with the agreement between the coalition government and a number of Danish farming bodies and is likely to set a precedent for other countries to follow. Sanctioning the tax with the Danish government were the Danish Agriculture and Food Council, the Danish Society for Nature Conservation, the Confederation of Danish Industry, the Trade Union NNF, and the Danish Local Government Association.

The money raised by this carbon tax is said to be going back into the agricultural sector to enhance green initiatives and climate technology. Calls have been made to ensure this tax collection is regulated and that it should possible align with an emissions trading system at EU level.

Meanwhile, farmers around the world took to social media to comment on the tax. Some called it “a real breakthrough moment for agriculture” whilst others said: “Take note, this nonsense is coming our way too.”

A new Cornell University study provides evidence that a spillover of avian influenza from birds to dairy cattle across several US states has now led to mammal-to-mammal transmission.

“This is one of the first times that we are seeing evidence of efficient and sustained mammalian-to-mammalian transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1,” said Diego Diel, associate professor of virology and director of the Virology Laboratory at the Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC) in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Whole genome sequencing of the virus did not reveal any mutations in the virus that would lead to enhanced transmissibility of H5N1 in humans, although the data clearly shows mammal-to-mammal transmission, which is concerning as the virus may adapt in mammals, Diel said.

As of July 24, 11 human cases have been reported in the U.S., with the first dating back to April 2022, each with mild symptoms: four were linked to cattle farms and seven have been linked to poultry farms, including an outbreak reported in the past few weeks in Colorado. These recent patients fell ill with the same strain identified in the study as circulating in dairy cows, leading the researchers to suspect that the virus likely originated from dairy farms in the same county.

While the virus has the ability to infect and replicate in people, the efficiency of those infections is low.

“The concern is that potential mutations could arise that could lead adaptation to mammals, spillover into humans and potential efficient transmission in humans in the future,” Diel said.

It is therefore critical to continue to monitor the virus in affected animals and also in any potential infected humans, Diel said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has funded programs for H5N1 testing, at no cost to producers. Early testing, enhanced biosecurity and quarantines in the event of positive results would be necessary to contain any further spread of the virus, according to Diel.

“The raw milk production’s profitability [in Poland] is teetering on the edge. Much depends on the farmer’s access to [sufficient quantities of] good-quality, own roughage, which is an exception rather than a rule given the growing herds and land hunger,” Wielkopolska Chamber of Agriculture (WIR), a prominent farmers organisation, said in its recent report.

Over the past 2 years, Polish dairy industry groups have been repeatedly complaining about the tough financial conditions with ups and downs in business marginality. WIR said the sector remains in the state of financial crisis, which ‘lasts too long’, gradually eroding the farms resources and make it more difficult to hold their ground.

“Unfortunately, no prospects for improving this dramatic situation are in sight,” WIR stated.

Raw milk in Poland is traded on average at PLN2.05 (US$0.51) per litre, though the price can largely differ depending on the region and buyer. No major rise is expected at least until the end of 2024, the WIR analysts claimed.

The Polish dairy industry remains under pressure from high energy prices and low prices of milk powder and butter on world stock exchanges, accompanied by a strong zloty, WIR revealed.

The global situation largely shapes the dairy industry development in Poland as well as in the EU as a whole, Grzegorz Rykaczewski, an analyst with Bank Pekao SA said. In the first quarter of 2024, around 1% more raw milk was delivered to European factories than in the previous year, Rykaczewski said. Increases in milk production were recorded primarily by France and Italy. Production fell in Ireland and the Netherlands.

“Against this backdrop, Poland stood out positively and was the driving force of EU production in the analysed period with a 5% increase in output,” he said.

The demand for milk and dairy products is particularly dictated by the situation on the Chinese market – the world’s largest importer. In January and February this year demand from China was weaker for skimmed milk powder, butter, and whey powder.

“There is a big question about how the situation around private consumption will continue to develop in China and whether the decline in sales will accelerate this year,” Rykaczewski said, adding that as first quarter consumption was below expectation, this sends shockwaves across the global market, putting prices under pressure.