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Frequently Asked Questions
We hope this Frequently Asked Questions page assists you in further understanding the benefits and operation of the scheme. Please do not hesitate to contact us contact us, if you require any further information.
Aren’t CHeCs health schemes only suitable for ‘elite’ herds?
No. The NationWide Laboratories Leeds Advance Cattle Health Scheme has been designed with those dairy or beef herds in mind that are moving on from doing little or no disease monitoring to proactive herd health planning. Participating in the scheme will help you establish the health status of your herd regarding IBR, leptospirosis, BVD and Johne’s disease and develop with your veterinary surgeon a practical plan of action (as opposed to a tick box ‘health plan’) to improve the health and productivity of your cattle.
Doesn’t the cost of testing and disease eradication exceed the financial
benefits I can expect?
Once you know your herd disease status, your veterinary surgeon can help you decide which of the diseases identified it will be to your advantage to tackle and what is going to be the most cost effective way of proceeding - for example, whether vaccinating against a disease would be preferable for your herd than trying to eradicate it. There is no doubt that the target diseases pose a huge hidden cost in terms of lost productivity and increased clinical illness in infected herds.
Why should I choose the Advance Cattle Health Scheme rather than any
other?
Uniquely, the Advance Cattle Health Scheme provides a range of other diagnostic services at a preferential rate, to optimise on-farm usage of anthelmintics, vaccines and antibacterial products, as well as tests for the CHeCS target diseases. NationWide Laboratories, the Advance Cattle Health Scheme provider, draws on a wealth of experience in diagnostic testing.
Can I have a copy of the laboratory results reported directly to me?
Copies of all laboratory results can be provided direct to scheme members on request. Interpreting laboratory results is often far from simple and a clear understanding of the characteristics of the diseases that are being tested for and, vitally, the limitations of the tests available is required. This is a specific area in which NationWide Laboratories will offer support to your veterinary surgeon.
I already belong to a Cattle Health Certification Standards (CHeCS) scheme – can I move to the Advance Cattle Health Scheme without my herd losing accredited status?
Yes. CHeCS is all about health scheme providers meeting the same high testing standards.
Are there any livestock markets dealing only in accredited disease free cattle in the UK?
Yes. There are already such markets in Scotland and they are likely to become more common. Also, stock from accredited herds is already sought after for direct farm purchase as herd replacements, to increase herd size, or on occasion, to set up a new herd. Again, as more farmers become convinced of the advantages of improving their herd disease status, this will become more common, avoiding the biosecurity risks inherent in buying stock of unknown disease status at market.
Does vaccinating my cattle mean I cannot work towards accredited disease free status?
The reason that vaccination can affect working towards accredited status is that the tests used to detect antibodies to the disease cannot always differentiate between antibodies to the vaccine and antibodies to the disease. However, there are ways around this and the only target disease for which vaccination causes real difficulties at present is leptospirosis. For IBR, BVD and even Johne’s, it is possible to gradually work towards accredited status using targeted vaccination schedules
I have more than one herd – is it me or the herds that are registered for the CHeCS scheme?
If herds are separately managed their health statuses may be different, hence each herd must be separately registered.
Where can I find out more about CHeCS?
Visit the CHeCS web site at www.checs.co.uk or contact the CHeCS
Executive Director, Tim Brigstocke, Brick House
Risbury, Leominster, Herefordshire, HR6 0NQ tel 01568 760632.
Where can I discuss membership of Advance Cattle Health Scheme?
Contact NationWide Laboratories Leeds on 0113 250 7556, or by web form