Veterinary Interventions to Improve Neonatal Survival on British Beef and Sheep Farms: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Neonatal lamb and calf deaths are a major issue in UK agriculture. Consistent mortality rates over several decades, despite scientific advances, indicate that socioeconomic factors must also be understood and addressed for effective veterinary service delivery to improve lamb and calf survival. This qualitative study utilised semi-structured interviews with vets and farmers to explore the on-farm mechanisms and social context, with a particular focus on the role of the vet, to manage and reduce neonatal losses in beef calves and lambs on British farms. Data were analysed using a realist evaluation framework to assess how the mechanisms and context for veterinary service delivery influence survival as the outcome of interest. A lack of a clear outcome definition of neonatal mortality, and the financial, social and emotional impact of losses on both vets and farmers, are barriers to recording of losses and standardisation of acceptable mortality levels at a population level. Despite this, there appears to be an individual threshold on each farm at which losses become perceived as problematic, and veterinary involvement shifts from preventive to reactive mechanisms for service delivery. The veterinarian-farmer relationship is central to efforts to maximise survival, but the social and economic capital available to farmers influences the quality of this relationship. Health inequalities are well-recognised as an issue in human healthcare and the findings indicate that similar inequalities exist in livestock health systems.

Targeting lamb survival in commercial flocks: inspiring and effecting change

“…That said, farmers demonstrate significant autonomous motivation to improve survival, with a strong desire to make improvements because ‘it's the right thing to do’, rather than due to external factors such as judgement by other farmers or the advice of their vet (AHDB and others 2020). External factors, such as the weather or lack of finance to invest in buildings, are often given by farmers as barriers to change; however, detailed interviews have shown that there is also an emotional barrier and stigma to considering losses, with clear impacts on mental health (Adam and others 2021).…”

“…Losses that are seen to be unavoidable or accidental are perceived as more acceptable, and this supports the common observation that many farms have a level of tolerated losses, below which intervention is not warranted. The threshold beyond which tolerated losses are no longer tolerated, hence triggering veterinary involvement, appears to vary hugely between farms, with experience, circumstances and the relationship with the vet playing an important role (Adam and others 2021).…”

“…Through discussion, it is also important to identify targets that are realistic and of relevance to the farm. Detailed interviews with farmers have shown that sheep farmers do not want to use industry‐level metrics and targets that they do not feel apply to their specific system (Adam and others 2021). Therefore, it is essential that farms are encouraged to synthesise their own targets.…”

“…THE precise definition of the neonatal period and neonatal mortality varies among research studies, vets and farmers. While the first 48 hours after birth is universally accepted to constitute part of the neonatal period, interviews with farmers have disclosed that some consider neonatal mortality to include abortions and all losses up to turnout (Adam and others 2021). In this article, we consider neonatal mortality to be the death of live born lambs up to seven days old.…”

Sheep Scab in Northern Ireland: Its Distribution, Costs and Farmer Knowledge About Prevention and Control

“…The influence of peers or peer pressure on farmer behaviour has previously been demonstrated (Farrell et al, 2021) and is revealed in this study, as farmers reported seeking advice on diagnosis and treatment from peers rather than professionals. Specific testimonial from peer farmers about a disease and its treatment through educational activities has been shown to assist in uptake of recommended guidelines (Spence, 1951;Adam et al, 2021), and this should be encouraged in relation to sheep scab control programmes.…”