Maidenlands British Blues Review / Testimonial

We are pleased to announce that Scawfell Genetics Ltd is to launch ibreeder livestock trading platform to provide our valued customers with the ability to market and deliver their genetics to other breeders in both the domestic and international marketplace. The ibreeder Livestock Trading Platform is being offered FREE to all Scawfell Genetics Ltd customers [...]

Scawfell Genetics expansion and plans to launch a new cattle genetics trading platform for breeders and genetics companies Scawfell Genetics wants to concentrate on being purely a cattle genetics facilitator for other genetics companies and breeders, but we have been asked numerous times by cattle breeders if we could help them in selling their cattle [...]

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Profile: Steven O’Kane On-Farm Collection – We are pleased to announce Steven is working with Scawfell Genetics

  If you have made the decision to collect genetics from your bull whether you intend to store them as an insurance against your asset, or sell domestically or for export as a revenue stream. You want to ensure you get the best quality and value from your investment. How do you get the best […]

Scawfell Genetics will be attending the 2019 Beef Expo with SellMyLivestock to announce the launch of the new beef genetics collaboration.

Scawfell Genetics Ltd are pleased to announce their new collaboration with SellMyLivestock’s new project SellmyLivestock – Genetics, which is about to launch their new online beef genetics portal.

Don’t overlook the importance of cattle genetics! Cattle breeders that don’t take advantage of genetic data will be unable to improve the genetics of their herd.

Much has changed in bovine genetics in the last 20 years? One extraordinary issue has arisen for livestock farmers, which isn’t a change in the genetics industry but adds to farmers list of hurdles to overcome alongside weather, market prices and legislation are Vegan activists. These are people who not only slander the industry with […]

EBV (estimated breeding values) data from 5m Limousin cattle has been added to the UK evaluations. This includes 2.6 cattle with full pedigrees and 2.3 animals with performance records now available on the Limousin Basco System.

Scawfell Genetics are pleased to announce the launch of their national on farm collection team which enables them to provide a simple, efficient and professional service to all breeders from Orkney to Cornwall.   Notice: JavaScript is required for this content.

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Red Ladies Derby – Limousin Cattle Show & Sale Show & Sale of 85 Limousin Females The British Limousin Cattle Society Auction Sale Rules will apply and the recommended Conditions of Sale of the National Beef Association. Friday 14th December 2018 – Harrison & Hetherington Auctioneers Borderway Mart, Carlisle, Cumbria CA1 2RS As the finale […]

A case of BSE ( Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) also known as “Mad Cows Disease” has been confirmed on a farm in Aberdeenshire in Scotland. Further investigation in to how the animal contracted BSE is currently underway. A movement ban is in place on the Scottish dairy farm. This is the first case of Mad Cows [...]

One of the largest costs in dairy farming is the prevention and treatment of mastitis, now there is a new tool available to help dairy farmers control the endemic cattle disease. The mastitis management tool launched from a collaboration between AHDB Dairy and the University of Nottingham helps farmers make informed decisions on managing the [...]

The 2 cases of bluetongue virus were discovered by The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and the Pirbright Institute when the 2 imported cattle arrived in North Yorkshire from a central France assembly centre. Bluetongue is a virus that is transmitted by midge bites, the virus reduces milk yields and can cause infertility, in [...]

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6,000 New Dairy Farmers required for Ageing Irish Dairy Industry between now and 2026 Dairy Farming in Ireland – Researchers and Consultants at Teagasc (Agriculture and Food Development Authority) have estimated required personnel figures for Ireland’s Dairy Farming Industry. The People in Dairy Project Report, from Teagasc – The report states that at least 6,000 […]

Beef Efficiency Scheme changes are finally moving into place after a number of Scottish farmers dropped out due to inefficiencies. The Beef Efficiency Scheme (Scotland) The Beef Efficiency Scheme itself is a way of estimating the genetic value of animals for breeding purposes Farmers are required to gather tissue samples from a portion of their [...]

Scawfell Genetics is happy to publish The English Guernsey Cattle Societies Newsletter! Click the image above to view the Guernsey Cattle Societies Newsletter.

The Brazilian Beef Cattle Industry 

– During the last five years the Brazilian beef industry has been the largest exporter of beef globally and one of the biggest producers of beef in general. The Brazilian beef industry is extremely important to the South American country. Beef also plays a huge role in employment creation for Brazil as well as contributing largely to their exports.

Pete Sherwen the founder of Scawfell Genetics speaking at the Rare Breeds Survival Trust Conference on RSBT Gene Banking for the Future  

The British Limousin Cattle Society has released research indicating that genetic traits in cattle can be worth in excess of £360 per animal. Genetic Traits – Key Results £150 per animal – Bettering carcass quality £96 per animal – Improving feed efficiency £79 per animal – Lowering days until slaughter £42 per animal per annum […]

Industry experts propose new scheme for confirming Aberdeen Angus Beef integrity   Many experts and veterans who are involved in the supply chain of Aberdeen Angus beef have made themselves vocal in regards to the origins and authenticity of the meat and the importance of DNA testing.

Beef cattle breeding and artificial insemination Using AI within a beef cattle herd can be profitable for the farmer provided that the AI programme is managed well, with considerable attention to detail at all stages of the process. Particular attention should be paid to designing a sound animal health and nutrition programme for the herd. […]

UK breeding objectives for the dairy industry Breeding Objectives – The dairy industry in the UK has a robust system for collecting genetic breeding data from the producers of all major dairy cattle breeds and crossbreeds. These genetic evaluations are distributed throughout the industry three times each year and form a key part of decision […]

The suckler herd: improving the genetics for increased profitability Ensuring profitability from your suckler herd involves breeding cows from two superior animals that you have identified which will steadily improve the genetic composition of your herd. This constant and evolving improvement in the genetic factors inherent in your herd is cumulative and if you continue […]

Understanding the Easy Calving Indexes From the beginning of 2010, figures have been produced for both Holstein and Friesian sires with regard to their production of calving ease progeny. These established calving indexes are there to help dairy herd farmers make decisions around breeding based upon genetic data rather than relying upon instinct to select [...]

Genetics: The Genetic Index Overview Genetic Index – Cattle breeders have been studying genetic indexes for over 25 years, but for those who are not familiar with how they work and for whom some of the most commonly used terms are alien, we have put together a useful overview as a starting point in understanding […]

UK Genomics – It is believed that genetic improvement can be increased by about 50 percent through the use of genomics technology but the UK was very slow to take up the genomics mantle and lagged behind much of the world. With its delayed reaction to this new technology, has the UK genomics industry found […]

A guide to the TB Advantage genetic index Launched in January 2016, TB Advantage, published by AHDB Dairy, is a genetic index for use by farmers to assist in breeding cows which have a heightened resistance to bovine tuberculosis/  TB (bTB). Scotland’s Rural College, Roslin Institute and the University of Edinburgh jointly undertook wide-ranging research […]

  Fertility Fertility plays a significant part in ensuring the profitability and efficiency of a herd and so should be actively managed. Within a dairy herd in particular, poor breeding success rates can lead to increased costs and reduced profits, with loss of milk production, loss of milk yields from mature animal culling, high veterinary […]

Crossbreeding  Crossbreeding – Heterosis or hybrid vigour, is the desired result from mating animals of different strains or breeds to improve an animal’s characteristics. These characteristics may include longevity of an animal, production and fertility. Heterosis is a tendency of such a crossbred animal to possess superior qualities to those of either parent but without […]

Animal Health – Biosecurity is concerned with how we deal with both biological and biochemical substances and should be a part of all modern farm practices. The word first appeared in the wake of the foot and mouth outbreak of 2001 which affected cattle farms in all parts of the UK. It is concerned with […]

The Dairy Cow Welfare Strategy was first launched in 2010 to try and improve the standards of welfare for dairy cows in the UK. Whilst it was recognised that farmers in the UK operated at a very high standard, it was thought that methods and welfare standards could be improved. Welfare priorities were established, with […]

The UK dairy industry The UK dairy industry has faced a challenging time over the past decade. The NFU produced a strategy document called Compete to Grow which was designed to ensure the survival of the milk industry and to make sure that UK farmers are able to compete with their foreign counterparts. The Compete […]

Mastitis in dairy cows Mastitis is an unpleasant disease which is endemic throughout dairy herds in the UK and around the world. The disease causes the swelling of the cow’s udder tissue and mammary glands, making this not only uncomfortable for the cow, but very costly for the farmer both in treatment and profit loss. […]

Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) Managing disease within a herd can be difficult, and identifying BVD, a repeated cause of reproductive and respiratory problems is essential as it can have a significant economic impact on a farm’s profitability. It is prevalent in many countries and problems related to the disease are believed to be increasing. BVD […]

TB & Bovine Tuberculosis TB / Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle is caused by the Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) bacterium which is a zoonotic disease capable of causing tuberculosis in humans. The M. bovis bacterium is killed in sunlight but can survive in wide-ranging acids and alkalis and can remain viable in warm and moist […]

What is Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR)? Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis or IBR, as the name suggests, is a respiratory disease that is infectious and highly contagious, caused by Bovine Herpes Virus type 1 (BHV-1) which can affect both older and young cattle. It is also known to be responsible for causing abortions, encephalitis and conjunctivitis, as well […]

Comparing an individual animal with the benchmark of a herd or particular breed and expressing the difference, either positively or negatively, gives you an animal’s EBV  or estimated breeding value, which is then expressed as a + or – from the starting point for an average animal of zero. EBVs play an important part in decision-making in looking […]

Breeding dairy cows using genomics for an improved dairy herd With the introduction of cattle genotyping in 2008, breeding animals for both dairy and beef may seem to have become rather more complicated for farmers. Not only is there an implication that they must understand the science of genetics but they are also required to […]

Artificial insemination in cattle Artificial insemination (AI) is a popular method of breeding cattle in the UK and in this article we look at the benefits to farmers of using this method to increase herd numbers. Efficiency If a bull is being mated naturally with a female he will generally deposit a larger quantity of […]

Understanding genetic terminology Genetics now play a very large part in the cattle breeding process and understanding the terminology that you may come across is key to ensuring that you are buying or breeding the best animals that you can. There is plenty of data that you can look at when making breeding decisions. To […]

Genomic Evaluation – For hundreds of years, genetic improvements in dairy herds have been made by farmers who studied a bull’s offspring in each generation and bred only from the best-performing animals. This method has served the industry well, with significant increases in milk, protein and fat production, as well as welfare and structural changes […]