Vets Encouraged To Talk To Their Farming Clients About Clostridial Diseases In Beef Cattle
5 days ago 
135 views
Vets are being encouraged to talk to their farming clients about the benefits of vaccination for clostridial diseases in beef cattle which are a common cause of sudden death, particularly in calves.
The move follows recent in-depth research1 by Zoetis UK, manufacturer of the clostridial vaccine for cattle and sheep, Covexin 10, into beef farmers thoughts on clostridial diseases. The survey revealed that 38 % of those questioned were not vaccinating; this is despite the National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) Livestock Vaccination Guideline which categorises vaccination for clostridial diseases as a category one vaccination for beef, one of the highest priority vaccinations1. In addition, 19.5 % did not realise that annual boosters were required and only 39 % said that they always gave the second dose of the initial vaccine course when they should, with 17 % unsure.
The good news is that 92.2 % of farmers stated that they would speak to their vet for advice on clostridial diseases and with only 41.3 % of farmers purchasing their clostridial disease vaccines through the veterinary channel there is huge potential in the veterinary sector to grow the market.
Mr Simon Wilson, veterinary surgeon and director at Cain Farm Vets in Llansantffraid, north Wales sees clostridial diseases more often than he would like for a group of diseases that are so easily preventable by vaccination. “We see confirmed cases of clostridial diseases every few weeks and Blackleg and tetanus are the most common clostridial diseases diagnosed in our practice.
“We find that farmers have a variable threshold of what losses they will tolerate before investigating deaths. Some farms will investigate every death which ensures that we can act quickly to prevent further losses while, sadly, others tolerate sporadic deaths and a few animals may be lost before we are contacted to identify the underlying cause,” says Mr Wilson.
The Zoetis research identified that 46.8 % of those questioned stated that time and labour was the top barrier to vaccination, while 21.3 % selected cost, however there is a good cost versus benefit outcome."
Mr Wilson adds: “With vaccination for clostridial diseases being so cheap and cost-effective it is a real shame that more farmers don’t vaccinate. Often, in a small to medium sized suckler herd the financial loss from one death can cover the cost of herd vaccination for years to come. With the value of livestock at present, there should be no excuse for not vaccinating all cattle irrespective of farm history.
“We are pleased to say that our practice actively promotes vaccination for clostridial diseases to our clients, which reflects how important we view it. It is discussed as an essential part of herd health plans and farm assurance reviews, but in a more targeted way we question farmers on vaccination status before surgical castration, as it is such a big risk for tetanus.”
Mrs Ally Ward, veterinary surgeon and national veterinary lead at Zoetis UK says: “Pregnant cows are often given a booster two to eight weeks before calving with a product like Covexin 10 to pass immunity to calves by increasing antibodies in the colostrum. This will help protect youngstock in the first few months of life, as well as the mother for a year. Now is a good time of year for farmers to vaccinate those calving in the autumn to provide protection in the longer term.”
Covexin 10 from Zoetis protects cattle and sheep from 10 key strains of Clostridia bacteria, providing active immunity for up to a year.
For further information on Covexin 10 or clostridial diseases contact your local Zoetis territory manager or click here.
Reference
- ZMR: clostridial disease beef farmer survey 2026. Survey base: 51 beef farmers, 120 median herd size
More from Zoetis
- Zoetis Receives Approval for Portela® (relfovetmab injection) in Great Britain
- Zoetis Receives Approval for Lenivia® (izenivetmab) in Great Britain
- Equine Vets Invited to Build Communication Confidence and Clinical Influence
- Zoetis Expands Vetscan OptiCell™ Capabilities, Becoming the First and Only Haematology Analyser to Bring Reference Lab Insights In-Clinic
- Zoetis officially partners with Cats Protection
2 days ago