Survey of the operation of dairy herd health schemes by veterinary practices in the United Kingdom

Department of Agriculture, University of Reading, Earley Gate.

A postal survey of 566 veterinary practices with dairy farms among their clients showed that the majority of the practices were very positive about the benefits of running a herd health scheme. Nevertheless, only a third of them were running a scheme, and most had attracted only a small number of clients. The size of the practice (in terms of the number of veterinarians and the number of dairy farming clients) was the most significant factor determining whether a practice was likely to run a herd health scheme, and the age of the veterinarians did not appear to have any affect.