Vet practice reaps national awards

Veterinary Centre staff at the national sheep, beef and deer conference in Blenheim are vets Bridget Roulston (left), George Smith, Dave Robertson, Tessa Boys and Lauren Strange. Photo / Supplied

A North Otago vet practice has earned multiple national awards for its research.

The Veterinary Centre Oamaru sent a delegation of six to the recent national vets' sheep, beef and deer conference in Blenheim. They represented the practice's ''sheep and beef team'', which comprises eight vets and four territory managers covering Waimate, Kurow, Omarama, Ranfurly, Palmerston and Oamaru.

Vet Dave Robertson said that side of the practice had grown in the face of decreasing sheep numbers, as staff focused on extending their skills and showing their commitment to the products they sold.

They also carried out research to help answer questions raised by local farmers.

Members of the team presented five papers to the Blenheim gathering of about 250 colleagues.

George Smith, who is in his first year as a practising vet after graduating from Massey University, won the prize for best practitioner paper. He delivered the results of a trial with Friesian bulls on fodder beet.

There was no published data on how bulls fared on the crop, so Mr Smith designed a trial on his family farm in Waikato.

''He's a very organised and enthusiastic individual,'' Mr Robertson said. ''He's made quite an impact in his first year.''

Bridget Roulston presented a paper on the practice's ram health and husbandry study. She had been involved with the brucellosis testing and travelled around farms to collect data.

''She's got a lot of energy,'' Mr Robertson said. ''As an employer, it's great to have young ones keeping you enthused.''

Ranfurly vet Michael Lilley spoke on urea poisoning in ewes - another subject with scant published information. Mr Lilley, the 2012 Young Farmer of the Year, undertook his research while doing his vet work, running his own farm and raising a young family.

Vet Neil Sanderson presented the practice's study on beef cow fertility, winning the award for best overall paper at the conference.

Mr Robertson carried out the scanning for the study and Hamish Newton analysed the statistics.

The vets did their research outside regular duties, ensuring they gained animal ethics approval and statistical validation. The results were written up in a monthly ''Ewes News'' newsletter and discussed at annual sheep and beef roadshows.

Mr Robertson has recently returned from presenting a paper on ram health at an international sheep vet conference in Harrogate, England, attended by about 700 delegates.

New Zealand had a ''low disease status'', and lower use of antibiotics than most other countries, he said. In Britain, 17% of all livestock production is lost to disease. The figure in the Third World is about 30%.

''We've set an example to other Western countries that are relying on subsidies and chemicals.''