Module 01
Agriculture and world food production
• Be aware of cattle populations and production in the United Kingdom, Europe and the rest of the World
• Be familiar with the trends that have been happening in world production and food consumption
• Understand how future trends are likely to affect milk and meat production in the United Kingdom
• Understand how the Mid-Term Review is likely to affect future milk and meat production
• Be able to extrapolate as to how farmers will deal with the future
• Be able to determine whether or not there is a future for farm animal practice
• Understand how to make farm animal practice viable in the future
Module 02
The neonate, weaning and the growing animal
• Be familiar with normal mortality levels in various management systems of calves and lambs
• Be aware of the parameters suitable to assess successful calf rearing
• Know the constituents of colostrum and how to make most effective use of it
• Know how to undertake a calf enteritis outbreak investigation
• Know the trends in calf enteritis outbreaks
• Understand the reasons for respiratory disease in calves
• Know how to undertake a calf pneumonia investigation
Module 03
Nutrition. Organic farming
• Understand the nutritional requirements of animals
• Understand the basics of how to feed animals
• Understand the basics of diet construction
• Understand the nutritional value of feeds
• Understand how to feed
• Understand the use of straights
• Understand the nutritional value of feeds
• Understand the principles of organic feeding
• Understand the role of the veterinary surgeon on organic farms
Module 04
Management of growing cattle at grass
• The targets for growth of heifers and whether they should be achieved
• The problems of achieving targets whilst at grass
• The targets for growth of beef animals at grass
• The problems caused by parasites at grass
• The principles for their control
• The methods to reduce anthelmintic resistance in helminths
• Why mineral/vitamin deficiencies occur and how to prevent them
Module 05
Sheep flock management and preventative medicine*
• Understand the management of sheep
• Understand sheep production and economics
• Be able to produce a Flock Health/Preventative Medicine Plan/Programme
• Understand condition scoring and its use
• Be able to examine a sheep for health
• Determine the reasons or not for culling
• Be able to decide on suitable preventative medicine measures for a flock
• Understand the principles for reducing anthelmintic resistance in sheep helminths
Module 06
Fertility and infertility
• Undertake rectal and ultrasound examination of normal dairy cows
• Determine pregnancy in dairy cows
• Determine ovarian function of dairy cows in relation to their breeding history
• Determine appropriate treatment regimes for dairy cows with various infertility problems
• Understand how to investigate and determine the cause of herd fertility problems
• Understand the causes of abortion
• Undertake an abortion investigation on an individual animal and a herd basis
• Determine suitable preventive programmes to reduce and control abortions
Module 07
Lameness and foot care*
• Be able to undertake correct foot trimming
• Be able to determine the cause of lameness in a cow and undertake corrective procedures
• Understand various surgical procedures for dealing with chronic septic conditions
• Be able to recognise the various causes of lameness
• Understand why the lameness occurs
• Know how to control and prevent lameness cases in a herd
Module 08
Mastitis. Buildings*
• The parts of the milking machine and how to assess them
• Milking techniques and how they can cause mastitis
• Factors that contribute to mastitis and high cell counts
• How to interpret bactoscans and cell counts
• How to treat mastitis
• How to prevent mastitis
• How to reduce high bulk somatic cell counts
• Cubicles and building design
Module 09
Milk quality. Metabolic profiles. Dry cow management
• Understand the use of metabolic profiles
• Know the number of animals and stage of production for samples to be taken
• Be able to read and analyse the results obtained from a metabolic profile
• Be able to identify herd problems from metabolic profiles
• Understand the nutrition of the cow in the dry cow period
• Understand the requirements of the cow approaching her next lactation
• Understand the constituents comprising milk quality
• Understand how to alter the constituents in milk
Module 10
On-farm problem management protocols. Artificial insemination
• The need for on-farm management and veterinary protocols
• How to determine when stockperson and/or veterinary surgeon involvement is required
• The work input to produce protocols
• How to undertake artificial insemination of cows
• What factors can cause insemination failure
Module 11
The whole herd farm visit investigation
• Undertake an on-farm examination of a herd
• Determine the good and poor points of production and management on the farm
• Relate any veterinary and production problems on the farm and indicate their cause
• Produce a herd report
• Make practical recommendations
• Indicate the priorities
• Indicate which are for long-term and short-term action
• Indicate the anticipated period before results occur following a recommended change
Module 12
Sheep and suckler herd diseases and their control
• Be able to identify many common diseases of sheep
• Understand why these sheep diseases occur
• Know how to prevent or control such sheep diseases
• Know the welfare indications of such sheep diseases
• Be able to identify many common diseases of suckler cows/calves
• Understand why these suckler cows/calves diseases occur
• Know how to prevent or control such suckler cows/calves diseases
• Know the welfare indications of such suckler cows/calves diseases |