Yorkshire vets show care for farmers
A veterinary practice serving livestock farmers in the heart of northern England has decided to raise awareness of YANA, and at the same time raise money for YANA and other charities providing rural mental health support.
Draw a line coast to coast across northern England from Scarborough to Morecambe and about half way across – between the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales – are the farms and livestock under the care of the Bishopton Veterinary Group.
Helping with record-keeping of veterinary medicines
The Bishopton practice has published a veterinary medicine record book for pig farmers. Each ‘Veterinary Medicines Record of Administration for Pig Farmers’ is a reference guide and recording book in one.
There are sections for writing down regular treatments (such as worming, vaccination and for coccidiosis), when individuals or groups given injectable or oral medicines and for recording disposal of out of date or unused medicines. The handbook also contains a lot of practical advice for on-farm medicine use including estimating weight and appropriate needle selection as well as where to inject.
Caring for the mental health of pig farmers
Livestock illness can be very worrying. Animal diseases feature high in YANA’s list of pressures of farming and working in rural businesses. The Bishopton vets have seen first-hand the worry and stress felt by their livestock farmer customers when animals fall ill or there is an outbreak of disease. Their concern prompted them to decide to include links to YANA and other sources of rural mental health support in the pig medicine book. There’s more. For every pig medicine book printed, the practice is putting £2.00 per book in a charity pot which will then be split-donated between all the charities mentioned. YANA is grateful for what Bishopton vets have done and for showing that, as well as caring about pig health, they also care about the mental health of their livestock farmer customers.
Whilst Yorkshire is not in YANA’s usual area, YANA is keen to promote awareness of the importance of good mental health to all.