Roundup of Cattle Hoofcare Standards Board conference

The Cattle Hoofcare Standards Board conference was held at Hatherley Manor on 30 September 2022. It was originally meant to be held at Hartpury University but bookings quickly exceeded venue capacity, so a last-minute move was arranged. Nick Bell gives a roundup of the conference.

Dr Evgenij Telezhenko from SLU in Sweden opened a conference on his ground-breaking work measuring pressures between the hoof capsule and pedal bone with a range of trimming styles and floor surfaces. Using cadaver limbs he demonstrated how these pressures could be reduced with a wide and deep model, or when cows were at pasture. He also showed the increased forces on PIII when walls were modified by trimming. This is probably the most powerful work to date informing on best practice trim technique. Dr Telezhenko also ran a cadaver limb practical to illustrate some of these points. If you are interested in reading more then see conference proceedings or listen to his excellent webinar on the subject, hosted by AHDB.

Tim Carter and Nick Bell also ran a workshop showing how the trimmer and vet can work in partnership when trimming out necrotic lesions (formerly known as non-healing lesions).

Amy Jackson gave a powerful talk on her the subject of her recent PhD studies engaging the public through social media. She showed that it is unsurprising that the public jump to conclusions when supplied with incomplete information and the best way to engage is by showing our human sides rather than challenging, shaming or ridiculing. She also demonstrated how easy it is to post something that can be extremely offensive to members of the public if viewed out of our context and that social media posting is a highly skilled activity.

There were updates on Red Tractor standards by Kate Cross and on the foot health initiatives in general by Jon reader, the vice chairman of the Dairy Cattle Mobility Steering group.

In the afternoon the team at Graig Olway farm (Russel Morgan - farmer, Sarah Smith -RoMS scorer, Alan Colebatch – CHCSB audited trimmer and Sara Pedersen vet and Mobility Mentor) presented an insightful case study funded by Farming Connect showing how correctly used mobility score data can drive rapid improvement in foot health by targeting the right cows at the right time.

There was a presentation by Tim carter, chairman of CHCSB and Sara Pedersen from BCVA on the launch of the new Lantra courses and qualifications in cattle hoof trimming and treatment aimed at farmers. This initiative is a collaborative partnership between BCVA and CHCSB to increase the delivery of high-quality training for the industry.

Lastly, there was a repeat of the ever-popular discussion panel which saw all the speakers on stage to answer questions and comments about foot health from the audience, expertly chaired by Kate Cross.