Peakfield Farm Vets

What an honour for James to be asked to speak at the Ashbourne Young Farmers Club annual dinner and dance - thank you!

A great night celebrating achievements of members of all ages🏆

With hindsight, photography skills could have been better!

THE PEAKFIELD TEAM

Bobbie Plant
Veterinary Surgeon

Since graduating from the University of Nottingham in 2020, Bobbie has worked at two other local farm animal practices. Until recently, she has been furthering her education in cattle health management, undertaking research and teaching vet students at Nottingham University.

Bobbie joined Peakfield Farm Vets in Spring 2024 and is enjoying being back to front-line vetting. She particularly enjoys analysing farm data to identify areas of underperformance and using this insight to help clients improve productivity and welfare in their herds.

THE PEAKFIELD TEAM

Beckie Harrison
Veterinary Surgeon

Originally from North Yorkshire, Beckie graduated in 2019 and went straight into farm animal practice where she's had the privilege of working with, and learning from, a variety of farmers across a range of systems.

Beckie is incredibly passionate about everything involving calf health, growth and performance – she could happily discuss calves for hours on end! On dairy farms, she aims to work with farmers to help achieve maximum potential and production from heifers by boosting growth and immunity in early life; to this end, Beckie runs a ‘Healthy Heifer’ club.

Beckie also enjoys sheep work and runs the ‘Flock Health’ club where she has a growing interest in effectively and sustainably managing worm burdens in a changing climate.

When not talking about calves or doing worm egg counts, Beckie is usually found cold water swimming, hiking in the Peak District or gardening at her cottage.

Thank you to Ashover Young Farmers Club for inviting us to speak at their meeting last night. Beckie gave a talk on all things ’farm vet’ and the pump challenge went down a treat (pun intended 😉).

THE PEAKFIELD TEAM

Chris Butterworth
Veterinary Surgeon

Chris graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2016, and spent a year's internship working in Derbyshire before relocating to the South West for the next 5 years. Here, he worked predominantly in dairy, with some herds numbering over 1000 head, but there were also plenty of beef herds and sheep flocks to keep him occupied.

Having grown tired working within a faceless corporate structure (which are all too common)*, he took the decision to forge his own path as an independent vet in charge of his own practice!

Chris is Derbyshire born and bred, with his beloved Derby County making him desperately miserable most weekends!

*Chris' words ;-)

THE PEAKFIELD TEAM

James Dixon
Veterinary Surgeon

A farm vet for over 20 years, James has been in Derbyshire for 15 years now, working with farmers throughout the region and forming many productive and longstanding relationships.

James has a broad range of interests from dairy fertility and lameness, through to building design and how improving the environment can help to maximise animal health and productivity – drawing on his knowledge and experience to come up with workable solutions for our clients.

Outside of work, James enjoys walking, cycling, looking after his small flock of sheep and spending time with his family, mainly as a taxi service!

THE PEAKFIELD TEAM

Vickie Green
Practice Manager

Vickie is local to the area and knows Ashbourne like the back of her hand!

For the last 8 years she has worked within farm veterinary practice, and, not being from a farming background, this took some getting used to, but she thinks she's cracked it now! Vickie works behind the scenes a lot of the time based in the office, so getting out to see everyone at the local shows is one of her favourite things. She loves everything about her job – no two days are the same which keeps her on her toes!

Outside of work, Vickie's three girls keep her busy most of the time. She's a big fan of the Marvel franchise and loves nothing more than a cosy night in watching Thor! She also has a Black Labrador called Benson who loves a long walk around the countryside.

Please join us on 20th November at the Royal Oak in Mayfield to discuss pain relief in dairy cows.

All welcome but please let us know if you would like to join us so we can make sure we have enough food!

RSVP to Vickie on 01283 243363 or one of the vets

It's about time we introduced ourselves!

Peakfield was set up by a team of experienced vets in July 2022, with the aim of delivering true value to farmers, focussing on building long-term relationships.

Our ethos is simple:
➡We strive to improve animal health, welfare, and therefore productivity.
➡We offer farmers clear returns on investment, by increasing farm gains whilst remaining competitively priced.
➡We go that ‘extra mile’ to deliver successful results.
➡We work collaboratively with our farmers – without you, we wouldn’t exist!

For more information, please have a look at our website: https://peakfieldfarmvets.com

Bluetongue restricted zone now includes Nottinghamshire and some of Leicestershire. Please be vigilant for any of the clinical signs and don't hesitate to contact us if you have any queries or concerns.

Following the identification of further bluetongue BTV-3 cases through surveillance along the border of the Restricted Zone (RZ), the RZ has been extended again. It now covers Nottinghamshire, part of Leicestershire, part of Northamptonshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, City of Kingston upon Hull, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Greater London, Surrey, East Sussex, West Sussex & part of Hampshire.

Keepers of cattle, sheep, camelids and other ruminants must remain vigilant. Bluetongue is a notifiable disease and must be reported by law. You are not permitted to move any animal showing these clinical signs and if you see any of these signs you must report it to APHA. Animals must only be moved where it’s absolutely necessary. Please also follow the restrictions on animal and germinal product movements that apply - more information on the restrictions and licences is available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/bluetongue-movement-licences-and-designated-slaughterhouses.

Check the Bluetongue interactive map:
https://defra.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=514ec88edec74575958d860f0196d2ea and GOV.UK to see what steps you must take to prevent and control the disease: https://www.gov.uk/bluetongue.

Information about BTV-3 vaccinations is also available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/bluetongue-serotype-3-btv-3-vaccine-permits.

All set up and looking forward to seeing you for a beef cob and hot mulled cider tomorrow at the Brailsford Ploughing Match, kindly hosted by the Harris family . The forecast is good tomorrow and the ground has held up extremely well to the recent rain so we should be in for a good day!

The bluetongue situation is ever-evolving and a real worry for many farmers. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact the practice and talk it through with one of the vets

Following the detection of further cases of bluetongue virus BTV3 in the East Riding of Yorkshire & Lincolnshire area & indications of local transmission, the Temporary Control Zone has been lifted & replaced with an extended Restricted Zone (RZ) covering East Riding of Yorkshire, City of Kingston upon Hull and part of Lincolnshire.

The RZ in Kent has also been extended to now include all of Kent, East Sussex and more of Greater London following the detection of more cases.

Keepers of cattle, sheep, camelids and other ruminants must remain vigilant and follow the restrictions on animal and germinal product movements that apply.

More info is available on GOV.UK about bluetongue movements and licences: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/bluetongue-movement-licences-and-designated-slaughterhouses & BTV-3 vaccinations: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/bluetongue-serotype-3-btv-3-vaccine-permits

Check the Bluetongue interactive map: https://defra.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=514ec88edec74575958d860f0196d2ea and GOV.UK to find out more: https://www.gov.uk/bluetongue.

Its day and we are so proud to work alongside all our fantastic clients and play our small part in helping to produce some of the best quality food in the world. We work closely with our farmers to help them achieve the highest standards of animal health and welfare as they work to supply the great British public.

Peakfield Farm Vets An independent team of experienced farm vets, dedicated to providing the highest standard of care to commercial dairy, beef and sheep, based from our office near Ashbourne, Derbyshire

Are your tups fit and fertile? Beckie and James had a busy day last Friday fertility testing 21 tups across two farms. This involves a physical exam before collecting a semen sample which we look at under the microscope. The tups are scored in several categories before we either do or don’t recommend them for breeding. Several things can cause tups to be sub or infertile, and a tup that has been fertile one year may not be the next year. It’s worth finding out now before any problems with ewes coming over or high barren rates. 🐑

An issue close to our hearts here in Derbyshire and Staffordshire. TB control is a complex issue and no one measure will solve it on its own, but we have certainly seen a positive impact in this region from the badger control program alongside improved farm bio-security and our usual program of testing. BCVA represents cattle vets nationwide and encompasses vets with huge experience and expertise on this topic. # British Cattle Veterinary Association - BCVA BBC BBC Derby BBC Stoke & Staffordshire TB Advisory Service

On Friday 23 August at 9pm BBC broadcast a programme about TB control; Brian May: The Badgers, the Farmers and Me. A full response will be issued after the weekend, until then BCVA would like to acknowledge that evidence shows badgers do transmit TB to cattle (Crispell et al 2019) and the evidence also shows that culling badgers where badgers are implicated in TB transmission to cattle does reduce TB in cattle (Downs et al 2019, Birch et al 2024).

Farm vets see too often that Bovine TB has huge and long-lasting effects both on the welfare of cattle and on the mental health of farmers and vets, and we were pleased to see the demonstration of compassion in this programme for the farmers and herds that have been devastated by this disease.

BCVA supports an individual evidence-based approach to TB control for each farm affected by TB and that approach includes all necessary tools for which we have scientific, peer reviewed evidence of efficacy. This includes more sensitive testing, badger culling and improved biosecurity, as well as a close working relationship between the private veterinary surgeon, the farmer and APHA to eradicate this disease from UK agriculture. We have the lowest levels of TB for 20 years. Current policy is working.

Great job Eric Weston - quality always sells. Nice jacket too! Leek Auctions Peakfield Farm Vets

Thank you for coming to see us at Ashbourne Show! We enjoyed catching up with you in a different setting and it was nice to see a couple of our clients get rosettes in the show ring 🏵️. Our next show outing will be Brailsford ploughing match - hope to see you there!

Calves are the future of any herd and we spend a huge amount of our time giving them the best start we can. From vaccine programs to feeding regimes and housing alterations, our farmers are constantly striving for the healthiest calves they can get!

Ready and waiting - the first batch of cows coming through for their TB read. Everyone has their fingers crossed for a clear test. 🤞

A big thank you to all who came along to our 2nd birthday BBQ - a fantastic evening and a great way to thank all our wonderful clients for their support over the past 2 years.
A big thank you to Kate, Our rep for pitching in to help keep everybody fed and watered!
# XLVets Farm

Could you be saving money by not worming your stock unnecessarily? Or are your growth rates being affected by worm burdens you don’t know about? We provide in house worm egg counts for both cattle and sheep, with results usually available the same day. If worm treatment is needed, we can advise on the most appropriate product and offer competitive prices on wormers. Call us to discuss more, or feel free to drop some samples in at the office 💩 🪱 🐑 🐄 🐂

Today we’ve said a very fond farewell and thank you to our wonderful Mel, who is leaving for pastures new. We wish her all the luck and happiness in the world in her new job and will miss her dearly ❤️ 🐑

🐑 "I don't need a vet.." 🐑

Calling all sheep farmers! You're invited to join Mel next Wednesday evening to delve into how working alongside your vet can help improve your flock efficiency and productivity. She will also be joined by Emma Steele from AHDB who will talk about where your levy money is spent and what AHDB does for the industry.

Where? The Royal Oak, Mayfield, DE6 2BN
When? 8th November, 7:30pm

Food will be provided so please get in touch with Vickie or Mel to book your place. The meeting is kindly sponsored by CEVA Animal Health.

On Tuesday night, Mel attended the AHDB Beef and Lamb meeting on Halal slaughter (in conjunction with Peak Farmers Group, NFU East Midlands events and Bagshaws LLP). The room was packed with farmers keen to learn more and dispel the myths surrounding Halal slaughter.

Here are some key facts that Mel brought away from the meeting ⬇️⬇️
🐑 72% of all British lamb is Halal and 4% of all British beef is Halal
🐑 Only 2% of Halal lamb is non-stun
🐑 The key difference between Halal and conventional slaughter is that a prayer is said after stunning of the lamb before the act of slaughter is undertaken - everything else is the same
🐑 Extensive work is being done by AHDB Beef and Lamb to increase export of British lamb to countries across the world, especially to countries with large Muslim populations
🐑 Halal consumers eat more lamb than the general public

More work is being done by researchers to design an effective stunning method for cattle that will be accepted by the Muslim community as Halal. Mel really enjoyed this meeting, learned a lot and encourages others to attend meetings on this subject in the future!