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Why should I join the Axiom Cattle Health Scheme?

  • Fast turnaround time for tests (under seven working days for blood tests)

  • Very competitively priced tests

  • Veterinary reporting and advice from a vet with over 15 years of cattle health schemes experience

  • Ease of sampling using our herd testing packs and barcode labels

  • You and your vet can access your herd’s test records on-line to check your herd’s status, next tests due, individual animal results, apply for pen-side health declarations plus access results from all samples submitted from your herd for non-health scheme testing

  • Send samples via our courier network* for next day delivery (no delays or samples getting lost in the post)

  • Use our personalised disease cost and herd test cost calculators to help you prioritise the diseases to focus on for your herd

  • Half price membership fee for the first year

  • Manage payments easily by direct debit

  • Display your herd’s status on our members’ database as a herd marketing tool

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How do I go about joining?

 

Information on the diseases and the testing required for each is available on our website.

 

  • We recommend that you have a discussion with your vet as to which diseases would be most appropriate to focus on for your herd.

  • Complete and submit an application form (on-line or a paper copy).

  • Barcode labels, blood collection tubes and a submission form will be sent out a month before when you plan to do your herd test.

Herd health status is becoming increasingly important for a number of reasons:

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  • With future cut backs in government farm payments the efficiency and profitability of livestock farms can be improved through controlling infectious diseases and by preventing their entry.

  • Buyers of livestock are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of avoiding buying in infectious diseases so there is likely to be a greater market demand for breeding cattle from herds that are shown to be free of certain infectious diseases.

  • There is an increasing drive by the cattle industry to improve the health status of herds in this country especially for costly, infectious diseases such as BVD virus. Many European countries have already eradicated BVD virus and some also IBR virus.

  • Many breed societies require their members to be testing for certain diseases, such as BVD virus and Johne’s disease, through a cattle health scheme.

  • Most milk processors now require their suppliers to have a control plan in place for Johne’s disease. Health scheme programmes provide a structured way to achieve better control.

Reduce the frequency of your herd’s TB test

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  • For herds in the TB High Risk Area, keepers who are accredited under a CHeCS approved TB scheme can be rewarded for their commitment to managing their TB risks.  The government will therefore allow herds accredited at CHeCS level 1 and above to undergo annual, rather than six-monthly, herd surveillance testing.

 

Access discounted test rates

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  • Testing through a cattle health scheme allows considerable savings to be made on herd tests.

 

Use your herd’s health status as a marketing tool

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  • All of your herd’s results are kept together which can be used towards gaining certification and demonstrating to others the health status of your herd.

Cattle health schemes providers that are accredited through CHeCS work to the same technical standards and CHeCS rules to ensure that herds are on a level playing field and only using quality assured tests.

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