NI Agri Rural Health Forum hosts ‘What’s Your Gut Instinct’ health event

An evening of food, comedy and most importantly practical advice to ensure farmers are up to date with the latest advances in testing for calf scour and bowel cancer.

Adam Conn, veterinary surgeon at Riada Veterinary Clinic, Ballymoney will provide farmers with an update on calf health. Including advantages of using the next generation of RAINBOW tests to quickly detect common pathogens including Rotavirus, Coronavirus, E. coli F5 (K99) and Cryptosporidium. After, MSD representatives will be on hand to offer information about how to maximise calf immunity and managing outbreaks when they do occur.

Often the same principles of ‘early detection early intervention’ apply when tackling a disease in any species. Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK.

Almost 44,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK. More than nine out of ten new cases (94%) are diagnosed in people over the age of 50. But bowel cancer can affect anyone of any age. Therefore, on the night, representatives from Bowel Cancer UK and the local health service including the Farm Family Health Checks team will discuss the advantages of taking up bowel cancer screening promptly.

To conclude the night there will be an open Q&A session with the speakers and nutrition advisors David Dunlop and Richard Beattie from Chestnutt Animal Feeds.

Local farmer and compere for the evening, Mr David Linton will be ‘talking dung’ to ensure a healthy balance of both education and entertainment.

John Laughlin from MSD Animal Health said: “We are delighted to support the event. We are committed to both advancements in animal and human health. This aligns with our mission to foster collaboration and share expert insights that benefit our communities. Through this event, we aim to enhance understanding of gut health, which is crucial for the well-being of both calves and people.”

To book your ticket or for more information on this event, please visit https://www.ufuni.org/events-training/ or call the Ulster Farmers’ Union on 02890 370222.

Dr Rebecca Orr, Chairperson of NI Agri Rural Health Forum said: “The factors that influence our decisions around livestock health and personal health are connected. There will be high value insights from our speakers and an opportunity to ask plenty of questions.”

This night has been supported by The Community Foundation for Northern Ireland through the Energia Long Mountain Community Benefit Fund. The event is hosted by members of the NI Agri-Rural Health Forum, which is coordinated by Rural Support, who will be on hand to answer any queries on broader topics and services related to wider health and safety and succession planning on farm.

For more information on these topics or the NI Agri Rural Health Forum, please visit the Rural Support website www.ruralsupport.org.uk or telephone their free confidential Support Line on 0800 138 1678.