June 2024

NZVA Conference 2024 - Event Report

Warren Webber

NZVA Conference 2024 (19-21 June, 2024), Christchurch, NZ

Conference Theme: Sustaining Your Future

VetSalus attended the NZ Veterinary Association Conference in Christchurch, New Zealand 19th-21st June. The conference theme was “Sustaining Your Future” and embraced multiple concurrent streams including Dairy Cattle, Sheep Beef Cattle & Deer, Companion Animal, Industry, Veterinary Business, Veterinary Nursing, Complementary Medicine, Equine, , Epidemiology, Food Safety, Animal Welfare & Biosecurity.

The sustainability theme was an excellent fit for VetSalus. We shared an exhibition stand with SustainaVet & the NZVA Climate Change ambassadors. Fortis – a NZ pharmaceutical wholesaler – had also invited applications from veterinarians to participate in a fully-sponsored “Livestock & Climate Change” course which is provided through VetSalus. There are 15 sponsored places and more than 30 applications have been received. Interest in sustainability is certainly on the rise.

VetSalus was actively promoting the Livestock & Climate Change course, The Veterinary Approach to Sustainable Food & Farming course, and also our complimentary provision of the VetFacts booklet which provides strategies for engaging the sustainability conversation with farmers, and key information to bring to that conversation.

5 Top Tips for broaching sustainability conversations with clients

Key messages from the conference

Veterinarians and Farm Efficiency - Mike Shallcrass

Fonterra recently announced a target of reducing on farm greenhouse gas emissions by 30% per kg milk solids by 2030. Greenhouse gases may seem unrelated to veterinary practice until you remember that most methane comes from cows, and cows that are hungry or sick produce less milk. Farmers are going to start asking their vets for advice to improve the efficiency of their farms, and while vets might not feel like experts in greenhouse gas emissions, they’re already well qualified to identify gaps and offer solutions to improve production efficiency. Of that 30% target, 7% is expected to come from adoption of Good Farming Practice, optimisation of production, and reduced wastage. Optimisation involves fine tuning farm management systems to allow animals to perform to their genetic potential while reducing wastage involves identifying areas where production is limited by subclinical disease, reducing discarded milk from cows under treatment, or cows that are culled or lost from the system prematurely.

Examples of the on-farm change Fonterra is hoping for include, improved reproductive performance, reduced clinical and subclinical mastitis, more consistent management of body condition score, and more optimal fertiliser application. These improvements can all be accomplished without any knowledge of, or reference to methane emissions or environmental science.

All vets are already trying to improve their clients’ production efficiency, but these new emissions targets provide an additional lens through which to view farm performance, in particular the way that different aspects of farm management interact with each other to hopefully allow gains in one aspect to enable improved performance in another.

 

Engaging with Change - Tennielle Ellingham

In the words of Heraclitus, “the only constant in life is change”. Change requires moving from a current state to a future state, with a big messy part in the middle. If we reflect on any period of change in our lives, we appreciate the discomfort that comes in that messy middle. Dairy farmers in New Zealand are very familiar with this sentiment, with what feels like a constant stream of change occurring in the industry over recent years, and more on the horizon. As veterinarians, we are well placed to support our farmers through some of these changes. However, some common challenges vets have described when having change conversations with farmers are; getting farmers to engage with the conversation, enabling the farmer to see the potential, a tendency for farmers to focus on barriers, and getting farmers motivated to take action post the conversation.

Veterinarians already have a wealth of skills, tools, and experience in the technical areas of animal wellbeing and efficiency. As an industry we are now recognising that getting sustained change on farm takes a different approach and skillset. Filling our toolbox with evidence-based skills in the areas of change management and positive psychology will enable us to better connect with our farmers as we work to get sustainable change on farm.

 

The Five Things of Parasite Management - Dave Robertson

With the first question usually being “what drench should I use?”, it is good to have a logical framework to discuss the broader concepts of internal parasite management. As the scope of drench resistance has widened to be commonplace, the realisation that historic drench use is not sustainable has finally been realised. It can cause both vet and farmer to despair and seem that the situation is overwhelming and hopeless. However, it can be the best catalyst to drive more efficiency, better feed conversion and healthier livestock outcomes that have never been realised previously. The principles of whole farm approach to internal parasite control that generate transformative change are straight forward and mundane. Their execution takes adjustments in mindset and when broken down, quite achievable. The order of the key principles is important, and they all work together to achieve healthier animals with less drench inputs. By framing it this way it does help vets and farmers realise that all is not lost, and the sheep and beef operation can continue to be viable. The five key areas in order of discussion of which all are equally important are: 1. Avoid the larval challenge. 2. Integrate stock classes. 3. Refugia. 4. Monitor. 5. Effective drench is used when needed. There are of course many layers of details in each category. But by keeping it simply framed helps ensure they are not left out in the discussions and actions around worm control. The presentation was a practical look at how sheep and beef farming clients have used this formula to good effect. It has enabled veterinary advice on the topic to become more confident, concise, and achievable. For seed stock producers there is the ‘5+1’, adding genetic selection to the discussion.

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