Calving brings long days, late nights, and plenty of hard work for every farmer. Our consultant Emily is right in the middle of calving on her own farm at the moment, so she knows just how hectic things can get! One piece of advice she shares is to plan ahead and keep things organised—having feed, equipment, and a clear calving plan ready can make a big difference. Another tip is to prioritise biosecurity: simple steps like cleaning equipment and monitoring for signs of illness can help reduce extra stress later.
That’s why it’s more important than ever to focus on these 10 steps to minimise the added stress that comes from not having a biosecurity plan in place.
At our recent biosecurity seminar and on-farm field days, we explored many of these steps in action — from practical ways to reduce the risk of disease spread to simple measures that protect herd health. What we learnt reinforced that a strong biosecurity plan isn’t just paperwork; it’s a tool that reduces the risk of disease outbreaks, supports each animal’s profitability, and safeguards the future of your herd.
- Tag every calf with their specific NAIT, Bobby, replacement tag etc.
- Register calves into the NAIT system.
- Record any movement in the system within 48 hours.
- Keep groups of calves separate for 48 hours before mixing them while you observe for disease.
- Keep calf rearing facilities and equipment clean, and limit how many people access calf rearing areas.
- Get people accessing calf rearing areas to clean their boots and personal protection equipment (PPE) and any other equipment and clean them again once they leave.
- Remove sick calves to a dedicated sick pen.
- Only buy NAIT tagged calves with accurate and up to date records and record their arrival on your farm.
- If you sell or give away milk for feeding calves, keep record of who the milk went to.
- Keep accurate records in the case of needing to make insurance claims.
Emily Woods
Environmental Consultant