Digital dermatitis (DD) is an infectious foot disease causing severe lameness in dairy cattle (worldwide) and sheep (UK). This study investigated whether DD Treponema phylogroups can be present on equipment used to trim ruminant hooves and, therefore, consider this trimming equipment as a possible vector for the transmission of DD. Equipment was tested after being used to trim DD symptomatic and asymptomatic cattle and sheep hooves, and subsequently after disinfection of equipment. After trimming, 'Treponema medium/Treponema vincentii-like', 'Treponema phagedenis-like' and 'Treponema denticola/T putidum-like' DD spirochaetes, were shown to be present on 23/37 (62%), 21/37 (57%) and 20/37 (54%) of knives, respectively. After disinfection, detection rates for the DD treponemes were 9/37 (24%), 6/37 (16%) and 3/37 (8%), respectively. Following culture of a swab, an isolate belonging to the T phagedenis-like spirochaetes was identified from a knife sample after trimming a DD positive cow. No isolates were obtained from knife samples after disinfection. This new data has, for the first time, identified treponemes in the farm environment, and highlighted disinfection of hoof trimming equipment between animals and between farms, as a logical precaution to limit the spread of DD.

DO, where the herd incidence varied between 0.0 and 77.8%. The reduction in number of milkings in the weeks before DO had statistically significant effect on the ML incidence. When the milking frequency was reduced from 3 times/d to 2 or maintained at twice a day, cows had 11 (95% CI = 3.43-35.46) or 9 (95% CI = 1.85-48.22) times higher odds of leaking milk, respectively, compared with cows where the milking frequency was reduced from twice to once a day. Also, the milk production 24 h before DO was associated with ML incidence. Hence, cows with a milk production between 13 and 21 L or above 21 L had 2.3 (95% CI = 1.48-3.53) and 3.1 (95% CI = 1.79-5.3) times higher odds of leaking milk, respectively, compared with cows with a milk production below 13 L. A higher ML incidence was present in the group of cows with an average ISCC in the last 3 mo before DO ≥200,000 cells/mL (odds ratio = 1.7; 95% CI = 1.13-2.41) compared with cows with an average ISCC <100,000 cells/mL. Quarters with ML tended to have 2.0 times higher odds of developing clinical mastitis compared with quarters not leaking milk. Cows with ML tended to have 1.5 times higher odds of intramammary infections (i.e., an increase of ISCC or clinical mastitis) compared with cows without ML.

In advance of the 2020 lambing season, 147 Welsh farmers were engaged in active colostrum management through training and discussion groups. Sixty-four of these farmers returned data on 1295 ewes, including ewe age, breed, body condition score (BCS), number of live and dead lambs born, a description of udder condition, colour of colostrum and a Brix reading. Flock numbers were available from 43 farmers and information on late pregnancy ration from 30 farms. Results were analysed using a Brix reading cut-off of 26.5% and showed that 76% of samples exceeded this level and were considered of good quality. With an average of 20 ewe colostrum samples returned per flock, the greatest variation was found to be at the flock level with ewe nutrition considered to be the greatest driver. Concentrate feed space, silage crude protein and the supplementation of concentrates to twin and triplet-bearing ewes were all factors that indicated a potential flock level role in determining the colostrum quality. Individual level ewe factors appeared to have a much smaller role in determining the quality of the colostrum, with the ease of stripping being the main significant factors. Colostrum quality was more likely to be inadequate if the ewe was reported to be hard to strip (OR 0.56). While not significant in the final regression model, other ewe factors appeared to have an impact on the colostrum quality, such as the BCS and number of lambs born; however, lack of significance in the model may mean they are not significant or that they reflect differences in management between different flocks. As UK sheep farmers prepare for lambing 2022, and continue to optimise colostrum management and reduce levels of antibiotic given to neonatal lambs, this practical study has demonstrated how sheep farmers can be actively motivated to measure colostrum quality to determine how to optimally manage colostral antibody delivery to individual lambs.

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