Pregnancy Checks A Must For Profitable Herds
AUSTRALIA – Cattle pregnancy testing, if done accurately, can save money and save on wasted calves, a veterinary body is saying.
16 December 2014
1 minute read
Australian farmers are being told that, whether pregnant or not, extra feed and care going to undetected open cows and lost calves when bulled cows are slaughtered is financially draining.
A pregnancy costs upwards of A$400, according to Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) cattle experts.
To address rising demand for tests, Australian Cattle Veterinarians (ACV), a cattle group within the AVA, has developed an audited testing scheme for Australia.
The National Cattle Pregnancy Diagnosis Scheme is designed to reassure farmers and produced accountability for work undertaken.
“Under our scheme, only accredited vets are able to apply tags, so when you buy or sell a cow or heifer you know it’s been tested by a National Cattle Pregnancy Diagnosis vet,” said ACV president, Dr Enoch Bergman.
He sees pregnancy testing as something farmers can’t afford not to do.
“The return on investment for accurate pregnancy diagnosis in cattle is tenfold.
“Accuracy is critical to get a good return on your investment. For example, if you incorrectly diagnose a cow and put it back in the field believing it’s pregnant when it’s not, that’s an extra year’s worth of feed.”
TheCattleSite News Desk
